How a Hofferson Trains her Dragon 2
by CessieRose25
Summary: Five years after ending the war between Berk and the dragons, Astrid and her best friend, Toothless, spend their time exploring new lands and spreading the peace. However, an encounter with Dragon Trappers begins an adventure that threatens the delicate balance between Vikings and dragons and forces Astrid to face her past, even if she's so preoccupied in figuring out her future.
1. Dragon Racing

**Dragon Racing:**

It was late morning over the farthest reaches of the Northern Hemisphere in early summer. Snow had just about melted away in the southern-most islands of the archipelagos that were dotted around the area and the trees shone emerald green on the land, lush and dense. One island in particular was a bustle of activity during this time of year– it rose from clouds of sea mist with mountains that stretched to the clouds like proud spires. Its forests cloaked its back like a wad of green velvet over the dark grey-brown rock that made up the island.

_This is Berk. The best kept secret this side of...well...anywhere. Granted, it may not look like much but this wet heap of rock packs more than a few surprises._

Within the village, a small group of sheep scuttled in between the houses fearfully as shadows shot past overhead. They bleated in mild terror as they ran among the buildings, trying as much as possible to stay out of the mid-morning sunshine.

_Life here is amazing, just not for the faint of heart. You see, while most folks enjoy hobbies like whittling or needlepoint, us Berkians enjoy a little something we like to call…_

One sheep was accidentally nudged out of its hiding spot by its fellows as the shadows flew past again. For a moment its eyes widened in a horrified acceptance of its fate before a pair of clawed paws snatched it from the ground.

_Dragon Racing!_

Hoots and screams of triumph and competitiveness sounded among the roars of both speeding dragons and the watching crowds in the stands below. It was a day of racing again on the Isle of Berk and the original Dragon Riders were the day's competitors. Each of the riders and their dragons had their team colours painted on their faces and along their dragons and currently five of the six Riders were actually in the race. Fishlegs Ingerman, the dragon statistics nerd of the group who was now a young adult of nineteen, currently had the sheep grasped in his dragon's claws – the dragon in question was a Gronkle named Meatlug (team colours: orange and green). Fishlegs hollered triumphantly and he sped around the track faster than Meatlug had ever been able to go when he was a younger teen but his victory was short lived as a bright red Monstrous Nightmare crashed into him from behind, stealing the sheep from him (well, they're Vikings. No one ever said they played fair).

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fishlegs!" the young man mounted on the Nightmare sneered. It was Snotlout Jorgenson, now twenty, with his dragon, Hookfang (team colours: red and yellow). "Did you want that?"

"Snotlout! That was mine!" Fishlegs yelled irritably as he tried to steal the sheep back but Snotlout braked so that the guy shot straight past him. Instead, he slowed down enough for a green Hideous Zippleback to catch up before he tossed the sheep up to one of its riders.

"Here you go, babe!" Snotlout called to Ruffnut, the female of the Thorston twins who was riding on Barf, one of the heads of the Zippleback (colours: blue and yellow). She caught it easily although her brother, Tuffnut tried to snatch it on Belch's head (colours: yellow and black). "Did I tell you that you look amazing today?" Snotlout asked smoothly. He'd been trying to get Ruffnut's attention for quite some time now given that she was the only single lady around his age left on Berk. "Cos you do," he smiled.

"Ugh..." Ruffnut huffed, glaring at Snotlout over the sheep. "Come on, Barf," she muttered in disgust. "It's starting to stink around here." As the twins urged Barf-Belch on, Tuffnut leered at Snotlout whilst Barf began setting off a stream of gas that Snotlout failed to notice.

"Nope, still hates you!" Tuffnut snapped dryly. "Let's blow this place, Belch!" he yelled as the Zippleback set off an explosion that sent Snotlout tumbling through the air for a moment, giving the twins time to finish the lap and throw the sheep into their respective net. The only other net that had anything in it was the one with the Deadly Nadder symbol.

"That's nine for the twins!" Stoick the Vast, the chief of the Hooligan tribe, announced from the stands, where he was observing from his chief's throne. "Hiccup lags with three; Snotlout and Fishlegs trail with none..." Stoick took a quick glance around the stands and the air before sitting down in disappointment. One dragon and rider team had failed to show up to the races. "And Astrid is...nowhere to be found," he grunted. His close friend, Gobber the Belch, leaned over with a dry smirk on his face.

"Scared her off with the big talk this mornin', didn't ya, Stoick?" he remarked. Stoick sighed – true, he'd been giving both his son and foster-daughter a lot of pep-talks as of late and just this morning he'd given Astrid an announcement about her future in the village. True, she was prepared to become Hiccup's wife – in fact, the wedding wasn't far off now – and accepted that she was expected to help him run the village from time to time but Stoick had decided she was ready for something more – something even more significant than just 'the Chief's Wife'. The thing is, Astrid had left the house almost as soon as Stoick had mentioned it this morning, unlike Hiccup who was readily preparing for when his father retired as chief.

Oh, and speaking of Hiccup...

_CLUNK!_

"OW!" Snotlout yelped as someone's fist became best friends with the back of his head. He turned around to see the face of his cousin, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (twenty; proud; headstrong; secretly a dork) glaring at him.

"What are you doing, Snotlout?" Hiccup snapped as he flew up next to Snotlout on his Nadder, Stormfly (team colours: blue and orange). "They're gonna win now!" he added irritably, frustrated that Snotlout wasn't even trying to win as he had done when they were younger. Hiccup himself was highly competitive and hated it when people didn't even try.

"She's my princess!" Snotlout protested. "Whatever she wants she gets!"

"Ruffnut?" Hiccup spluttered. Okay, it was better than Snotlout constantly hitting on _his_ girlfriend (not to mention, betrothed), Astrid Hofferson, as he had done after the battle with the Red Death (well, going between hitting on her and hating on her at times) but seriously? "Didn't she try to bury you alive?" he pointed out.

"Only for a few hours!" Snotlout laughed as he tagged the weather-vane to start the next lap. Did that _really_ justify it?

_Now, dragons used to be a bit of a problem but that was five years ago. Now they've all moved in and, really, why wouldn't they? We've got custom stables, all-you-can-eat feeding stations, a full service dragon wash..._

As the racers passed overhead, a baby Gronkle sneezed, setting off a fireball that hit the roof of a nearby house. Hiccup inhaled sharply and quickly set off a contraption that held a bucket of water which tipped over and doused the flames before they could spread out of control. He was _not_ having another house set on fire on his watch!

_Even top-of-the-line fire prevention, if I do say so myself._

Meanwhile, in the stands Stoick and Gobber clapped with the rest of the crowd as the Riders flew past before Stoick patted Gobber's arm.

"It's time, Gobber," he muttered. Gobber nodded.

"Righty-ho," he replied before waving at a Viking standing by a large horn on a podium near the scoring baskets. "Last lap!" he called as the horn went. Hiccup's head pricked up – he knew what that meant.

"The black sheep!" he exclaimed. In Dragon Racing, the black sheep was worth ten points. If Hiccup could just get that sheep into his basket, he could raise his total to thirteen and trounce the twins. "Come on, Stormfly," Hiccup urged his dragon. "We can still win this thing!"

On the ground, Gobber stood by the catapult which launched the sheep into the air. Currently the black sheep had no idea what was coming and was lazily chewing some grass as a yellow streak was painted on its nose.

"This is your big moment," Gobber chuckled, readying the catapult. "Have a nice flight!"

That was when the sheep caught on and bleated loudly before it was fired into the air. Hiccup kept his eyes trained on the animal.

"Up! Up! Up! Up!" he encouraged as Stormfly extended her claws but just as they were about to grab the darn thing, Fishlegs grabbed it first. "DAMMIT!"

"Yes!" Fishlegs cheered. "Good job, Meatlug." However, instead of flying towards his basket, he threw the sheep to Ruffnut. Like Snotlout, Fishlegs was also trying to win Ruffnut over. Needless to say, she ignored him. "Here you go, darling! Mine's worth ten!" he called as Ruffnut caught the black sheep gleefully.

"Yeah! The black sheep!" she cheered. "I'm totally winning this thing!"

"We're winning together!" Fishlegs smiled, his face starry-eyed. Ruffnut glared at him and kicked him away, sending him flying into Snotlout. The two dragons and their riders spun out of control for a while as Hiccup shot past, his face plastered with a confused stare.

"Those guys are fighting over _Ruffnut_?" he spluttered, half to himself and half to Stormfly who grunted in reply. Man, he was _so_ glad that he didn't have to deal with this kind of thing. Meanwhile, back with the twins...

"Nothing can stop me now!" Ruffnut grinned gleefully. Tuffnut glared at her.

"Except me – we're attached, genius!" he scoffed as they began fighting over who would carry the sheep to the basket. "Quit trying to steal all my glory!" Tuffnut snapped. As they fought over the sheep, they failed to notice Hiccup fly up behind them.

"GO GET 'EM, HICCUP!" Stoick cheered from the stands. Hiccup grinned slyly upon hearing his father's encouragement – oh, he was gonna get them, alright.

"You're always ruining everything!" Ruffnut whined as she and her brother struggled over who was carrying the sheep.

"It's _my _glory! No sheep, no glory!" Tuffnut snapped back, stilling failing to notice Hiccup fly up behind them. The young man carefully balanced on Stormfly's back before taking a running jump onto Barf-Belch's back, running up Belch's neck, grabbing the sheep from Ruffnut's arms and somersaulting back onto Stormfly before either twin realised what was going on.

"Gotcha! Ha-ha!" Hiccup laughed in smug triumph.

"Hiccup!" Ruffnut exclaimed in frustration.

"Well played! _That's_ my son!" Stoick bellowed proudly from the stands, punching Snotlout's father, Spitelout's shoulder as Hiccup raced around the final corners of the lap. However, just as Hiccup was about to dunk the sheep into his basket, Fishlegs rammed Meatlug into Stormfly, sending Hiccup and his dragon spiralling off course.

"Whoa!" Hiccup yelped, barely staying in the saddle as he clung to the black sheep – he was _not_ about to let this one go. He recovered quickly but his eyes widened to the size of coins when he saw Snotlout and Hookfang right in front of his – Snotlout had a hammer raised above his head.

"Excuse me!" Snotlout snickered.

"STORMFLY!" Hiccup cried, ducking as Snotlout tossed the hammer in his direction. At the same time, he rolled Stormfly out of the way, not looking back when he heard the hammer connected with Fishlegs' face as the Monstrous Nightmare and Gronkle crash into each other for the second time during the race. The crowd collectively winced and a pained "_Ooh!_" sounded from around the stands but Hiccup paid little to no attention to it – he brought Stormfly out of their roll as they spiralled over the docks, looping back round to the finish-line. Hiccup's grin widened as he slam-dunked the black sheep into it as the horn went and the finishing flag began waving. Hiccup hooted, standing up on Stormfly's back and punching his fists into the air as he savoured his victory once again – he was actually the reigning champion of the races.

"That's thirteen! Hiccup takes the game!" Stoick cheered from the stands as Hiccup high-fived his admiring spectators, his green eyes glinting in triumph and his smile flashing as he did so.

_Yep, Berk is pretty much perfect. All of my hard work has paid off and it's a good thing too, because with Vikings on the backs of dragons, the world just got a whole lot bigger._

* * *

**And so it begins! Sorry this has taken so long to get here, guys. School has been manic lately. In fact, I'm posting this, as well as the latest chapter of _How to Twist a Dragon's Tail_, as a way of celebrating finishing all of my coursework (exams still to come...boo-hoo). Anyway, you've all been waiting for this so here you go – the next instalment of my Astrid-Hiccup Role Reversal series. The ****_Riders of Berk_**** stuff will be updated as and when I get a chapter finished, I'm not having many inspiration hits for that at the moment.**

**Few things to note about this story: Astrid will still be having an identity crisis á la Hiccup from the original HTTYD but with a different position of responsibility (explained in a couple of chapters). Also: BACKSTORY ALERT! This is going to have a LOT of it and not just limited to the flashbacks from the movie. That's all I'm going to say on the matter.**


	2. Where No One Goes

**Where No One Goes**

Somewhere in the seas to the south of Berk, a black dragon shot across the waves so quickly the draft it left in the air whipped up the water behind it in a fine spray. Lying flat on the dragon's back was a young woman wearing leather armour and a leather flying helmet that covered most of her face, although a blonde plait streamed out behind it, barely holding itself together in the strong winds. The dragon and rider were in fact Berk's first: Astrid Hofferson and her best friend, Toothless – a Night Fury. The pair often skipped the races held on Berk in favour of expedition flights which more often than not also included them having a lot of fun.

The pair zigzagged and somersaulted through a pack of wild Thunderdrums before heading back into the clouds, performing all manners of tricks such as corkscrew spins, free-falls and loop-the-loops (one of which took them side by side to a pack of wild Timberjacks). Once they had the skies to themselves again, Astrid sat up straight in the saddle and tucked the reins under a small flap before patting Toothless' neck playfully,

"What do you think, pal?" she asked cheekily. "Do you wanna give this another shot?"

Toothless' eyes went wide in shock as if to say '_You were serious?!_' and he grunted sarcastically. Astrid was referring to the flight suit she'd been working on over the past few months and, as with all of her inventions, it hadn't exactly been safe-sailing with any of the past attempts. In fact, Toothless was secretly sure that Astrid had mentally aged him by ten years because of her antics (Astrid wasn't entirely sure how old he actually was, nor did she know how to find out).

"Toothless!" Astrid laughed slightly, locking Toothless' prosthetic tail fin into place so that he could glide without her. The flight mechanism she had made for her best friend had developed even more over the last five years as had her left prosthetic leg (she'd lost her real one in the battle with the Red Death five years ago). No longer just a spring-loaded metal limb, it now had multiple attachments depending on the situation Astrid found herself in – there was the flying foot, which she was currently using; the ice-foot, which was a sharp pick-axe-like blade to prevent her slipping on ice; and her normal-foot which she used pretty much everywhere else. "It'll be fine," Astrid reassured her best friend as she got ready to try the latest version of her suit.

"Ready?" she asked. Toothless snorted in a less-than-enthusiastic '_Okay, if you say so_' manner so Astrid leant sideways until she slid off the saddle and began a free-fall, screaming with joy as she did. Toothless quickly caught up with her and Astrid smiled at him under her helmet – in return, Toothless smiled his trademark gummy grin back at her and stuck his tongue out so that it flapped in the wind. The pair soon broke through the clouds and Astrid spotted the ocean – this was a good altitude if any. She slotted her arms into a set of leather loops on her legs and pulled, release the flight suit which broke her fall and let her glide. To improve her aerodynamics, Astrid quickly reached to a button on a skull-like device on her belt to release a fin, similar to that on the back of a sail-fish.

Smiling under her helmet, Astrid glanced over her shoulder at Toothless who was gliding a short distance behind her. He cocked his head as if to say '_Not bad_' before he began setting off some small blue fireballs for Astrid to dodge, which she did as each exploded a short distance in front of her. The manoeuvrability of this new suit was certainly a step up from the others (Astrid didn't even want to think about those). The blasts of fire also provided Astrid with a small amount of lift, bringing her out of a fairly steep glide. Astrid felt the wind rushing through her helmet and crowed in delight – she was practically the image of freedom.

"This is amazing!" she shouted in joy. The feeling vanished when the clouds parted to reveal a column of rock – under her helmet, Astrid's storm-blue eyes widened in terror. "No longer amazing!" she yelped. "TOOTHLESS!" she shrieked, trying to steer herself out of the way but to no avail. Toothless tried to catch up with his rider but his locked tail meant that he couldn't get the speed he needed to catch up to the young woman in time to fly away from the column of rock.

"Oh, no!" Astrid yelled as she flailed and began falling from the sky as Toothless went with his last resort, blasting the rock formation in front of them with a powerful blue-white fireball as he wrapped Astrid in his wings. Rock fell all around them, barely missing them as they fell from the sky and landed with a thud through some trees, branches whipping at Toothless' side and snapping like matches before they finally came to a halt on the ground.

Groaning slightly but shaking the bruises off, Toothless slowly unfolded his wings to check on Astrid – she was curled up against his chest in a foetal position but apart from looking slightly shaken, there didn't appear to be any permanent damage...thank Thor. Astrid shook her head clear and her gaze instantly drifted to her leg – she was always paranoid about losing the other one. Satisfied that she was still only one leg short, she switch the foot on her prosthetic to its walking-on-land mode before standing up and walking off to inspect their surroundings.

"Whew! That really came outta nowhere!" she remarked breathlessly as she began tucking away her gliding-wings. A crashing noise sounded behind the pair – Astrid and Toothless glanced over their shoulders to see the sea stack they'd nearly collided with collapsing into the ocean below due to the force of Toothless' blast. Astrid winced under her mask but shrugged the event off quickly as she finished tucking her suit away. Toothless, on the other hand, looked horrified and he narrowed his eyes in his rider's direction. He found her blatant lack of concern for her own safety incredibly irritating at times like this.

Astrid continued stowing away her leather wings before turning her attention to her dorsal fin – using the same skull-like device which resembled the bird skulls that had once decorated her skirt belt, she rotated a small spoke to reel in the dorsal fin whilst Toothless shook himself off.

"We've really got to work on your solo gliding there, pal," she noted jokingly. "That locked-up tail makes for some really sloppy rescue manoeuvres, huh?" she added, removing her helmet and revealing a round face framed by slightly flyaway Nordic Blonde hair held back in a plait which now fell over her left shoulder. Around Astrid's head was her favourite leather headband, although it was now missing the metal studs as they had long since worn off the thing and she'd never gotten round to replacing them. As she examined the new land she and her dragon had landed themselves in, Astrid's storm-blue eyes glittered in the early afternoon sunshine as she smiled – she never grew tired of discovering new places. This place in particular looked fascinating, with tall cliffs and golden birch trees that swayed in the summer sunlight.

"Looks like we've found ourselves another one," Astrid smiled, her helmet tucked under her arm as she admired the scenery. Behind her, Toothless glared at her irritably – _she_ was the one who had almost gotten herself killed again and all she was concerned about was that they'd found another new island? The cheek! In frustration, he kicked a stone at her head. Astrid turned around with a frown on her face as Toothless turned away from her.

"Toothless!" Astrid huffed, walking over with her helmet under her arm. Toothless turned away from her with a sulky expression on his face. "Oh, what? You want an apo…you want me to say sorry? Is that why you're pouting, Big Baby Boo?" she teased. Toothless grumbled and from the way his mouth was moving, it looked distinctly like he was saying '_I'm__not pouting!_'. "Well, try this on for size!" Astrid smirked, tossing her helmet down and throwing her arms around Toothless' neck as if to wrestle him, In fact, she was throwing all of her weight at him...which, when considering that Toothless was at least three times her size and weight, didn't exactly have much of an effect.

"Yeah, are you feeling it yet?" Astrid laughed teasingly as Toothless sat unamused by her pathetic attempts to wrestle him. Honestly, she was never the strongest Viking to begin with...okay, she packed a mean punch thanks to Hiccup's tuition over the years but still. "Huh? Picking up on all my heartfelt remorse?" she teased, hooking her legs around his neck. At that, Toothless stood up on his hind legs and began waddling over to the cliff edge.

_Time for payback – you scared me half to death!_

"Oh, come on...come on..." Astrid muttered. She was starting to get worried. Maybe she shouldn't have ticked Toothless off _that_ much. "Yeah, yeah, yeah...you wouldn't hurt a...one-legged..." she paused and glanced over her shoulder, shrieking as she saw that she was right over the edge. She clung onto Toothless for dear life, not exactly wanting to fall into an ocean that was no doubt teaming with wild Thunderdrums and Scauldrons. "Y-y-you're right! You're right!" she stammered as her grip began slipping. "You win! You win!"

Toothless chuckled, satisfied that payback had been delivered and flopped backwards. Astrid squealed and laughed as they began play fighting – they did this on a regular basis and Astrid enjoyed every moment of fun she had with her best friend, even if it was often at her expense.

"She's down!" she cried out in her best announcer's voice as Toothless playfully batted his paws at her face like a cat. She playfully mock-punched him back (the last time she'd hit him at full strength Toothless hadn't spoken to her for a week...if you could call it speaking, he'd really just ignored her). "Ooh! And it's ugly!" she continued. "Dragon and Vikings – enemies again! Locked in combat till the bitter...ARGH!" she grunted as Toothless flopped onto her chest, knocking the air from her lungs. She suddenly felt something rough and wet against her chin as Toothless started licking her fondly.

"D'oh!" Astrid moaned, pushing Toothless away and doing a backward roll to stand up and she wiped the Night Fury saliva from her clothes. "Useless reptile! You _know_ that doesn't wash out!" she complained as Toothless laughed in her face. In revenge, Astrid flicked some saliva back onto his nose with a smirk on her face – Toothless glared at her before cleaning it off as Astrid went to examine the land they'd found themselves in.

Kneeling down, Astrid reached under her chest-armour to remove a folded up map contained within a cover of one of her old notebooks before unfolding it on the ground – the map was of Berk and lately Astrid had been expanding it in all directions as she and Toothless explored and uncovered new lands. She then unbuttoned a flap on her right arm and removed a sheave of paper before getting Toothless to lick it so that she could stick in onto the map. Finally, she unsheathed her knife and sharpened a charcoal pencil that she always carried around with her before altering a compass that she had attached to her right arm so that she could get her bearings right.

"So, what should we name it?" Astrid asked, taking her pencil out of her mouth. Toothless grunted and scratched underneath his leg. "Itchy Armpit it is," Astrid nodded, scribbling the name onto the map and starting to draw. "What do you reckon, pal? Think we'll find a few Timberjacks in those woods?" Astrid suggested before glancing at her best friend. "The odd Whispering Death or two on the rocks?" Toothless grunted at the mention of the Whispering Death – he didn't exactly have a good history with that species of dragon. "Who knows?" Astrid continued. "Maybe we'll finally track down...another Night Fury," she finished before sighing sadly. "Wouldn't that be something?"

That had been another goal of Astrid and Toothless' flights away from Berk – trying to find the others of Toothless' kind. However, after five years of searching and false leads (again, not something Astrid liked to think about), Astrid was starting to suspect that Toothless was, like her, one of a kind. She could only hope. She didn't want her best friend to be alone.

"So, what do you say? Should we just keep going?" Astrid asked, almost sadly. Toothless cooed next to her in what suspiciously sounded like: _Nooooooo._


	3. Future Prospects

**Future Prospects:**

A sound that sounded like a combination of a roar and a squawk sounded behind the pair – Astrid quickly turned around to see where the noise was coming from. She recognised that call – it belonged to a Deadly Nadder. She was hardly worried – she could practically train those dragons in her sleep now but a flash of the dragon rising up the cliff told her she didn't even have to worry. She recognised that blue and yellow dragon when she saw it. And riding it...

"Afternoon, mi'lady!" a young man of twenty called as the Deadly Nadder landed at the top of the cliff and Toothless ran over to greet them. Astrid beamed at the sight of her fiancé as he rearranged his short fur cloak and readjusted the scabbard on his back which held the sword she'd made him for his eighteenth birthday – a Gronkle Iron sword he'd named Silver Edge. Astrid had trained as a blacksmith for most of her life and her skill at making weapons rivalled Gobber's. She was also a keen inventor and had developed a weapon of her own – a special sword with a retractable blade she called Inferno, so named because the sword could be lit on fire and there was also another function where she could set off an explosion of sorts using Hideous Zippleback gas. It was possibly her most refined weapon and invention to date and she prized it greatly.

Anyway, back to what was actually going on...

"Afternoon, babe!" Astrid greeted cheerily as Hiccup petted Toothless in greeting before he began walking over to her whilst the dragons began play fighting. "Where've you been?" she asked. Hiccup shrugged as he jogged over.

"Oh, winning races – what else?" he replied offhandedly. Astrid pulled a face as he sat down next to her and she turned her attention back to the map.

"You _know_ what else," she pointed out dryly. Hiccup winced – although he was more than ready to take over his father's responsibilities as chief, the two Haddocks had been locked in verbal combat that morning over Hiccup's recent penchant for flying off with Astrid and skipping chief-training more and more often. Stoick saw it as irresponsible 'goofing off' from his son and had given him a stern talking to which Hiccup, his stubborn Haddock blood flowing through his veins, had bitten back to bitterly. In fact the exchange had been so heated it had woken Astrid up before Toothless had a chance to start bouncing on the roof again.

"Oh," Hiccup grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "You heard that, huh?"

"Hiccup, I wouldn't be surprised if the _entire village_ heard it," Astrid huffed, raising an eyebrow. Hiccup leant back on his hands as he looked out over the new land.

"I don't think he understands that I actually _want_ to catch up on a little bit of childhood here," he grunted. Astrid bit her lip sadly – since his mother vanished during a dragon raid, Hiccup had practically forced himself to grow up at the age of five. In fact, his mother, a kind woman named Valka, had been the only person he'd ever acted like a child around when they were little. Astrid wasn't surprised that now the war between Berk and the dragons was over Hiccup wanted to revel in his childish side. He was still proud and as determined as ever but Stoick was so used to having Hiccup act so much older than he really was that at twenty, the young man's attitude was getting on the chief's nerves a little.

"He's just used to the old you," Astrid pointed out. "I mean, you've only been the 'new you' for...what? A quarter of your life?" she reminded him. Hiccup smirked before scooting a little closer to his betrothed.

"But enough on my issues," he said with his usual lop-sided smirk. "The real question is: where have _you_ been?" he asked. Astrid sketched another part of the island onto the map, only darting a brief look at the man next to her as she answered.

"Avoiding your dad," she huffed irritably. Hiccup winced.

"Uh-oh," he gulped. "What happened this time?" Compared to Astrid, Hiccup's relationship with his father was closer than anything. Astrid, on the other hand, was facing new problems with her foster-father/future father-in-law. Before it had been the issue that she wasn't your typical Dragon-Slayer-Viking. Now it was her carefree and restless attitude. As her bond with Toothless grew stronger, Astrid was finding it harder and harder to stay in one place for very long and this, for whatever reason, bothered Stoick who wanted her to settle down and start accepting her own responsibilities which, as she had learned this morning, were far more than just becoming Hiccup's wife.

"Oh! You...you are going to _love_ this," Astrid remarked, handing her pencil over to Hiccup. "So after you and Stoick have your little spat I lie awake for a while. And, you know, the sun is shining; the Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftops...I saunter down to breakfast thinking '_You know, maybe everything's all right with the world_' and I get..." She stood up, clearing her throat before putting on her best impression of the chief. "_Lass, we need to talk!_"

Hiccup sighed with a grin spreading across his face despite himself – clearly his betrothed needed cheering up and he had just the thing.

"_Not now, Stoick_," he moaned mockingly in a high pitched voice that Astrid knew to be an impression of her. In the past, Hiccup had only ever used it when he was mocking her cruelly but that was before they were on good terms with each other – nowadays, whenever he used it, it was always as a joke and Astrid knew it. "_I've got a whole day of goofing off to get started_!" Hiccup added, a large smirk crossing his face and shrugging his shoulders constantly whilst making extravagant gestures with his hands. Astrid broke into giggles.

"Okay, okay...first of all, I don't...I don't sound like that!" she protested in between giggles. Hiccup also burst out laughing. "Who...what is this character? And...and second...what is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?" she added. Hiccup answered by repeating his shrugging – Astrid had a habit of doing it whenever she spoke and she didn't appear to realise it. "Yeah, a truly flattering impersonation," Astrid smirked before continuing. "Anyway, he goes..." She cleared her throat again and began strutting up and down. "_You and Hiccup are the Prides of Berk, Astrid, and I couldn't be prouder_," she grunted, thumping a fist against her chest and pouting in a rather exaggerated manner.

"_Aww, thanks, Stoick_!" Hiccup squeaked, making even more flapping movements with his arms. "_I'm pretty impressed with myself too_!"

"When have I _ever_ done that with my hands?" Astrid laughed, gesturing towards Hiccup as she did so. It only served to make Hiccup laugh even harder.

"You _just_ did!" he pointed out, laughing so much tears were trickling from his forest-green eyes. Astrid laughed for a few more moments before she knelt down next to Hiccup and tried to hold his shrugging shoulders still.

"Would you just...keep still?" she asked, catching enough breath to calm down before looking at her fiancé directly in the eye. "This is very serious." Hiccup nodded and both adults took a deep breath before Astrid continued. "_You're all grown up,_" she recited after making sure that Hiccup was listening this time. "_I don't think my son could ask for a better wife. But I think you are ready for much more than that. That is why I have decided..._"

"What?" Hiccup quizzed, his eyes wide with curiosity. Astrid paused in her pacing and stopped her impersonation of Stoick as her uncertain gaze met the bright, curious one of her fiancé. Hiccup looked up at the young woman pressingly, urging her to answer him. "What? What'd he say?"

"He..." Astrid began with an uncertain shrug of her shoulders as she rubbed her right arm. "He said he wants to make me the High Protector of Berk." Hiccup's eyes flew open with amazement as he sprung to his feet, leaping up and down in excitement.

"High Protect...?" he spluttered. "Oh, my gods! Astrid, that is amazing! You _go_, girl!" he cried, socking Astrid in congratulations and deliberately hitting the button which activated her dorsal fin. Astrid grunted as Hiccup laughed with happiness, recoiling from the force of the impact.

"Do you have to do that every time? You're gonna wear out the spring coil," she grimaced cautiously but Hiccup was laughing too much to listen. "The calibration is very sensitive...WHOA!" she yelped as Toothless suddenly dashed past, followed by Stormfly, knocking her over. Hiccup himself was jostled by Toothless but then sent flying when his own dragon ran past.

"AH!" he exclaimed as he landed on Astrid. Chuckling awkwardly, he quickly stood up and helped his fiancée to her feet, secretly revelling in the fact that he now stood a full four inches taller than her.

"So...yeah, Stoick's having a go at your kicking back, not acting your age and having a bit of fun," Astrid grunted, brushing herself down. "_This_ is what _I'm_ dealing with." Hiccup gently dusted her shoulders off, beaming all the while.

"Well, what did you tell him?" he questioned. Astrid bit her lip and rubbed her arm again.

"I didn't," she admitted with a shy shrug as Hiccup walked over to pick up her map. "By the time he turned around I was gone." Hiccup stayed silent for a while – he'd gotten better with words at times like this over the past five years but it was still a lot to take in. The position of High Protector was almost as revered as that of the Chief and one given to very few. In fact, Hiccup wasn't even sure if many of the nearby tribes had even selected a High Protector in years – it took a very special someone for the Chief to feel that they were worthy for such a title. While he tried to keep his pride in check, Hiccup couldn't stop himself from displaying a small smile on his face.

"Well...it's a lot of responsibility," he noted. "You'll be my second-in-command...the head of defence...you'll go out on expeditions when I'm not able to...the map's gonna have to wait, for sure...you'll be flying Toothless less for fun and exploring and more for work cos you'll be so busy," he rambled for a little while, reciting all the responsibilities his father had told him a High Protector would take on when he paused, noting Astrid's silence. He winced sympathetically and turned to face her – she nodded with a grimace. She knew about all of that.

"It...it's not me, Hiccup," Astrid sighed, taking the map from the young man once he'd folded it up. "I want to keep the peace but not by always being ready for a war!" she protested weakly. "And all those speeches...that his and your thing," she added, almost bitterly but Hiccup knew she didn't mean it in that way. Even so, he felt she was missing something here.

"I think you're missing the point here, Astrid," he sighed. "I mean..._High Protector_!" he reminded her, taking her hands as his eyes shone with a proud glow. "What an honour! No one's had that title in generations!" he pointed out. "I'd be pretty excited!" he grinned. Astrid's face didn't change.

"You...you know I'm not like you," she pointed out, shaking her head sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiccup frowned.

"Well, you know exactly who you are...always have," Astrid sighed, turning away and sitting down at the edge of the cliff, gazing out at the new land. "But...me? I'm still looking. Now, I know that I'm not my parents," she noted, her heart sinking involuntarily at the mention of her parents who had died in a dragon raid when she was four, leaving her to live with her betrothed (who at the time had despised her) and his family. "I'm nothing like Stoick and...well..." she drifted off for a moment, fiddling with her pencil. "Well, I can't remember Valka that well..." she paused when she mentioned the name of Hiccup's mother. It still hurt her to know that the woman had vanished after protecting them...more specifically, protecting her when she was five. A girl who wasn't even her own flesh and blood. Astrid had always felt guilty about that no matter what anyone said now about it 'not being her fault'. She could barely remember what the woman looked like now.

"What did we say about this?" Hiccup asked calmly, taking notice of Astrid's discomfort as he sat down next to her. Astrid huffed – she'd heard it all before.

"Hiccup, you _know_ why I feel like this," she muttered.

"Yeah, what I _don't_ know is why you _still_ feel like this."

"You lost your mother because of me!" Astrid snapped a little sharper than she meant. "She was taken that night...and all because she protected me..." she sighed, her voice cracking in sad remembrance. Even Hiccup fell silent at the memory so Astrid quickly changed the subject. "I'm just saying, I'm not like any of the people I've grown up around...so, what does that make me?" she wondered aloud, feeling burdened with the future her chief had planned for her and above all feeling restless. She hated not knowing who she was. Hiccup paused, contemplating for a moment before he shuffled right up to his fiancée's side, placing his arms gently around her shoulders and holding her close. Subconsciously, Astrid leant back and nested her head on Hiccup's shoulder, cushioned against the shoulder plates he now wore by his fur cloak.

"What _you're_ searching for isn't out there, Astrid," he explained, placing a hand on Astrid's chest. "It's in here," he smiled. Astrid looked up at him and smiled briefly before tearing her gaze away again as Hiccup held her close. "Maybe you just don't see it yet," he shrugged before kissing her cheek affectionately – he drew away quickly in disgust as he got a mouthful of Toothless' slobber. Astrid's eyes narrowed as she spotted something on the horizon. Ignoring Hiccup's disgusted gags, she stood up as her eyebrows knitted together.

"Maybe..." she murmured. "But, you know...there _is _something out there," she said. Hiccup groaned in exasperation as he tried to get the dragon spit out of his mouth.

"Astrid..." he huffed when Astrid interrupted him by grabbing his chin and turning his head towards the horizon. Hiccup's keen gaze instantly spotted what Astrid was talking about – a large plume of smoke was rising out of the trees in the distance.

What could have caused it?

**Wanted to post this before my exams start... FREEDOM IS SO CLOSE!**

**So, yeah. Stoick wants Astrid to take on the role of High Protector of Berk. The role is second only to being Chief of the Tribe (which is Hiccup's job when it comes down to it) which is why she's still worried about being burdened with a ton of responsibility. Also, as far as Astrid can see, High Protector means always being prepared to enter a war and to keep the village ready for such an event and in this AU, she is very much a peacekeeper and wants to avoid conflict as much as possible.**

**Hiccup's father-issues...yeah, they're stemming from the poor guy just wanting to catch up on his childhood. In this AU he grew up before his time because of the expectations he was faced with as the son of Stoick the Vast coupled with his less-than-intimidating appearance as a teenager. Since the dragons moved in, however, Hiccup's been less of a stick-in-the-mud and is hoping to have a bit of fun before becoming chief. Stoick just sees this as being a little immature at times because he's so used to the serious-battle-ready-Hiccup his son used to be.**

**Give me three weeks guys and I'll start a regular upload schedule!**


	4. Dragon Trappers

**Dragon Trappers**

Astrid lay almost flat on Toothless' back as they shot through the golden birch trees that covered the island, with Hiccup and Stormfly following closely behind them as they raced towards the plume of smoke on the horizon. Astrid hadn't seen the likes since the dragon raids – according to Hiccup she'd missed a rather spectacular dust cloud when the Red Death had spontaneously combusted upon hitting the ground – and the mere sight of it unnerved her. Suddenly, the summer colours of the forest gave way to an ashen grey as the trees turned to burnt matchsticks, some splintered as if they'd been struck by lightning.

"What could've done this?" Hiccup murmured just in Astrid's earshot – she seconded his shock at the scene. Never, not even when Berk was at war with dragons, had she ever seen such devastating destruction. Then a sight appeared from the drifting smoke and ash that truly confounded the two Vikings and sent the two dragons halting in mid-air – what appeared to be a frozen spray erupted from the trees by the edge of the island...on closer inspection, Astrid was startled to see that it was in fact a structure of blue-green ice that looked as if it had exploded from somewhere. She shivered and not from the cold.

"Stay close," she called over her shoulder to Hiccup who nodded nervously as the dragons hovered nervously before pressing on. The pair continued to fly around the site, taking in the spectacle – Astrid had never seen ice form this way before. It was both astounding and terrifying at the same time. The strangeness of the situation only increased as Astrid spotted what was in the ice – splintered planks of wood...beams of timber...

It was a harbour fort, and what looked to have been a heavily defended one at that.

"What happened here?" Astrid breathed in stunned shock. Peering over Toothless' shoulder, she spotted what looked to be a massive footprint in the wet shoreline below – Toothless spotted it as well and growled uneasily so Astrid gently petted her friend's flank to keep him calm. "Easy, pal," she whispered. Hiccup flew a short distance behind his bride-to-be and kept an eye out – he recoiled in shock when he spotted a moored boat hidden in the spikes of ice. What's more, the crew of the ship seemed to be preparing crossbows...

"Astrid!" he exclaimed sharply. Astrid shot to attention and glanced down just as someone shouted 'Fire!' below. A cannon shot was fired and Astrid quickly flew Toothless out of the way as the projectile unfurled to create a net. The dragons were sent into a panic as they and their riders tried to avoid the onslaught of nets being fired in their direction. However, although both the Night Fury and the Deadly Nadder were known for their speed and agility, the latter of the two species wasn't quite as agile in the air as the former.

"Hiccup! Look out!" Astrid cried as a projectile missed them by a margin before hitting Hiccup and Stormfly instead. The net tangled Stormfly's wings together and pinned Hiccup to the saddle as the Nadder was sent spiralling out of control. Unsheathing Silver Edge, Hiccup struggled to free his dragon and confidante as they hurtled towards the ground.

"ASTRID!" he screamed, losing his grip and slipping through the net and off his dragon's back. Astrid didn't need telling twice – she sent Toothless into a dive and snatched Hiccup out of the air before he even had a chance to shout a prayer to the gods or hit the ice. Astrid noted mentally to herself that this seemed to be a recurring thing with her and her future groom...she hoped it wouldn't become a habit of his.

Meanwhile, Stormfly had crashed to the deck of the ship moored below and was instantly ambushed by men dressed in furs entirely unlike the fashions worn back on Berk. The men attacked with weapons and ropes, keeping her pinned to the dock even as she swung her tail out in self-defence, sending a wave of spines in their direction.

"Watch the tail!" one man, clearly the leader of the group, called warningly as he leapt onto Stormfly's head, tying her mouth shut with a length of rope. He wasn't an unattractive man, one might say he was handsome – no more than twenty five with raven-hair and dark brown eyes that glittered intelligently. This was a man that knew what he was doing. "Tie those legs up!" he ordered. However, the crew were interrupted by a banshee-like shriek above them. The raven-haired man paused and his eyes narrowed curiously. "Is that what I think it is?" he wondered aloud.

Moments later, Hiccup dropped from Toothless' paws and held Silver Edge threateningly, shifting directly into a battle-ready stance. Hiccup was known throughout the tribes in the Barbaric Archipelago for his expertise with a blade and his face flashed with anger – he wanted his dragon back. Immediately after he was on the deck of the ship, Toothless landed and let out a ferocious roar as Astrid dismounted and unsheathed Inferno, activating the blade so that it extended and lit up with burning flames. She wasn't too shabby with the weapon herself, having taken lessons from Hiccup over the last five years and when she was angry...you didn't want to be in the near vicinity, put it that way. She could give _Hiccup_ a broken arm if she wanted! Setting her face into a warning glare, Astrid waved Inferno in front of her threateningly – it was enough to impress and frighten the crew enough for them to retreat.

"Back again?" the raven-haired man growled. Astrid and Hiccup didn't have time to answer his question as his attention turned elsewhere. Namely, the Night Fury standing behind them. "Well, soil my britches," he remarked. "That _is_ a Night Fury!" he exclaimed happily, placing one foot on Stormfly's nose. Hiccup bristled – _no one_ treated his dragon like that. "Thought they were all gone for good! Looks like our luck's had a turn for the better, lads!" the raven-haired man continued, this time addressing the rest of his crew. "Don't think Drago has one of _those_ in his dragon army."

"Dragon army?" Hiccup repeated with a frown, too concerned over his dragon's welfare to worry about who this 'Drago' person was. Astrid sighed and calmed down slightly, lowering Inferno but not putting it away.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," she protested but the raven-haired man cut across her instantly with a disbelieving laugh.

"You should have thought of that before you stole all of our dragons and blasted our fort to bits!" he snapped. Astrid took a startled step back and she and Hiccup shared confused glances.

"Wait..." Astrid mumbled.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Hiccup spluttered before both he and Astrid looked at the icy explosion behind them. Oh, for the love of the gods...

"You honestly think that _we_ did this?" Astrid exclaimed in disbelief, putting it together. The raven-haired man stepped off Stormfly's neck and walked towards the two Vikings with a furious look on his face.

"Dragon trapping is _hard enough work_," he growled. "Without _do-gooder_ Dragon Riders sneaking in to rescue them!" he added snappishly.

"What do-gooder...?" Astrid paused as she realised what the man had just said. "Wait...there are _other_ Dragon Riders?" she asked breathlessly, retracting Inferno's blade but keeping the hilt in her hand. So...Berk wasn't the only place to have made peace with the dragons...there was somewhere _else_ out in the world that had done the same?

"You mean, _other_ than your thieving friend from last night?" the raven-haired man huffed irritably. "You tell me," he added with a snarl, approaching the two Vikings and Toothless who snarled protectively, his tail swishing dangerously. "You may have an ice-spitting dragon on your side," the man continued with a threatening tone to his soft voice. "But we still have a quota to fill! How do you suppose we explain this mess to Drago Bludvist?!" he asked, his voice rising angrily. Astrid blinked in confusion – who?

"Drago..._what_-fist?" she chuckled nervously. "Does _anything_ you say make sense?" One of the other members of the crew spoke up – on account of his dwarfish size, Hiccup named him Teeny.

"He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow," Teeny explained darkly. Another crew member chimed in – Hiccup went with No Name. He wasn't in a particularly creative mood this afternoon.

"And Drago don't take well to excuses," No Name mumbled. The raven-haired man glared at the two Vikings before parting his tunic, revealing a branding-iron scar shaped like a dragon skull with a sword on his chest – the scar itself had been split by a sword. Astrid shuddered...she could only imagine the pain that the man must have gone through when he'd received that.

"_This_ is what he gave me the last time I showed up empty handed," the man hissed. "He promised to be far less understanding in the future." So it wasn't just a paid job...these men were genuinely scared for their lives. Astrid let out a worried huff – she was getting worried for the dragons, as well as Hiccup and herself.

"Look, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting dragon or your lunatic boss, okay?" she protested in exasperation. "Just give us back _our_ dragon and we'll go!" she suggested. Really, could she get _any_ more reasonable than that? "Strange hostile person whom we've _never_ met," she added with a sarcastic smirk. Hiccup winced and kept his grip tight on the hilt of his sword as the raven-haired man chuckled playfully.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" he snickered. "I'm Eret, Son of Eret," he introduced himself with a mocking bow.

"Original," Hiccup remarked under his breath ("You're one to talk, Mr Third," Astrid mumbled back). Eret ignored him and continued, drawing a dagger from behind his back.

"Finest Dragon Trapper alive!" he boasted, waving his dagger around cockily. Astrid subconsciously kept a protective hand by Toothless' snout as if to shield him. "After all, it's not just _anyone_ who can capture a Night Fury," Eret smirked. Toothless snapped and roared in warning – this time, Astrid didn't hold him back.

"And this is Toothless," she glowered. "He says we're going – _now_," she added with a hiss. Eret laughed cruelly.

"Heh – they all say that," he growled. He paused for a mere moment before... "RUSH 'EM LADS!" he bellowed. His crew sprung into action but Toothless was already a step ahead – he let out a blast of fire that struck an overhanging spike of ice, sending it crashing to the deck and forcing Eret and his crew to scatter. Astrid and Hiccup made good use of the distraction and ran towards Stormfly who squawked in relief as her rider raced over. Astrid quickly re-ignited Inferno and swung it at the ropes binding the Deadly Nadder, burning them away as the blue and yellow dragon leapt to her feet with Hiccup on her back. As Eret and his men recovered, Astrid leapt off the side of the boat where Toothless deftly caught her before the two Dragon Riders flew out of range of an oncoming volley of arrows. Eret, needless to say, wasn't best pleased.

"You will _never_ hold onto those dragons, you hear me?!" he yelled into the skies as Astrid glanced over her shoulder worriedly. "Drago is coming for them all!"

As the island and the Dragon Trappers faded from view, Astrid flew in stunned silence, trying to process what had just happened. Hiccup quickly took note of the young woman's distracted demeanour.

"Astrid?" he called. Astrid shook her head clear.

"Sorry...it's just..." she trailed off. "Hiccup...you heard what he said, right?"

"About this guy Drago building a dragon army?" Hiccup grimaced. "Yes, I did and I think we should tell Dad right away," he suggested.

"I meant the other thing...there are _other Dragon Riders_ out there!" Astrid exhaled in amazement. Hiccup refrained from sagging – of course she'd be more preoccupied with that.

"Yeah – amazing," he huffed. "Guess you _weren't_ the first Viking to ride a dragon," he added with a smirk. Astrid replied by sticking her tongue out at him. "In all seriousness, Astrid – that can wait," Hiccup continued, the smirk vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared. "We need to warn Dad about these Trappers." Astrid stayed silent in thought for a while but nodded – her fiancé had a point. She needed to get her head out of the clouds every once in a while.


	5. Lock Down!

**Lock Down!**

Back on Berk, the rest of the gang were spending the early evening flying around Berk with their dragons. It had been an exciting day of races but flying never grew tiring for the nineteen/twenty-year-olds. Dragons were roosting in the evening sunshine, basking in the red glow that still bathed the rooftops and of course, the Terrible Terrors had all decided to pay Gothi, the mute village elder, a visit as they usually did. Gothi practically owned half if not three-quarters of the Terrible Terrors on Berk so it wasn't uncommon to see her without at least five on her shoulders when she was walking around town.

"WOO!" one of the Riders hooted as they shot past Gothi's house, sending her Terrors scattering in shock. Unable to yell any obscenities at the hellions, Gothi grunted angrily and shook her fist at them as they flew off into the village, still whooping and chortling as they went. Meanwhile, at the local blacksmiths, Stoick was entering the stall, pushing through a large crowd of villagers as he kept an eye out for one in particular – Astrid hadn't been seen since that morning and Stoick was getting irritated.

"Good day of races, eh, Spitelout?" he greeted as he walked passed Snotlout's father. The man smiled and nodded in reply. "Evening, Mrs Ack," he nodded as he passed a woman cradling a baby Gronkle in her arms. Eventually he made he made his way into the forge where Gobber was also working his side-job as Dragon Dentist, fixing in a false tooth for a blue and lilac Zippleback – its other, not-being-treated head watched sympathetically.

"Any sign of her?" Stoick frowned. Gobber straightened up, patting the Zippleback and dismissing it as he headed back into the forge.

"Eh, the lass has probably flown off the edge of the world by now," he remarked, flipping up his welding guard to reveal a patch of skin that wasn't covered in dirt or soot. "It'll be a miracle if Hiccup finds her," he added dryly. "You _sure_ that girl's ready for a position like High Protector?" Gobber asked with a grimace. "Also, Hiccup's catching up on his childhood – you sure you want him running the village just yet? You can still delay your retirement..."

"They're _both_ ready," Stoick interrupted, possibly a bit more snappish than he meant to sound. "You'll see." Suddenly there came a roar of excitement from outside the forge as two shadows passed overhead. Stoick ran to the entrance and his face lit up in a large beam as he spotted the Night Fury and Deadly Nadder come in to land. They were cheering for both young adults for different reasons – for Hiccup, there was a polite cheer as the crowd welcomed the Heir home; but for Astrid, there was a roar that heralded a Hero's welcome. Astrid removed her helmet and shook her head clear as she touched down and Hiccup politely acknowledged his people, a small smile crossing his face as Astrid flushed in embarrassment – no matter how many times she received this kind of welcome, she still felt she didn't deserve it.

"Ha-ha! There they are!" Stoick chuckled, thumping Gobber on the back as if to prove his early point. "The Prides of Berk themselves!" Astrid and Hiccup pushed through the crowds into the forge – as she passed, Gobber cast Astrid a cynical look.

"Who _finally_ decided to show up for work," he grunted. "Yay." Astrid winced – she may be the Hero of Berk and the Bringer of Peace Between Dragons and Berkians but she was still Gobber's apprentice.

"Sorry, got held up," she apologised. Hiccup pushed his way after her as she tossed her helmet onto a hook nearby and turned to face his father.

"Uh...Dad, mind if we have a word?" he asked, gesturing to himself and Astrid. Stoick smiled eagerly.

"Something you two are itching to tell me?" he grinned, placing a hand around their shoulders, casting a glance particularly at Hiccup who grinned nervously. Astrid bit her lip as Stoick guided them through the store to the counter.

"Umm...maybe not _quite_ the itch you're thinking of," she grimaced. "But...yes."

"Good!" Stoick beamed, tossing Astrid an apron (she threw it over her shoulder almost instantly). "So, how did it go?" he asked Hiccup whose forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Uh...how did...what go?" he frowned.

"You know – did you keep it simple or go for something more elaborate?" Stoick chuckled. Hiccup flushed, as did Astrid. Oh, bother. Official proposal interrogations again.

"Dad, I told you, I haven't gotten round to that yet!" Hiccup protested. In all honestly, he'd had the ring he wanted to give Astrid completed for quite some time now (not that Astrid knew about it – Hiccup had commissioned Gobber for it and had made sure the man only worked on the thing whilst Astrid was on one of her many expeditions. Needless to say, Astrid had somehow been kept in the dark about it) and secretly carried it around with him almost everywhere he went. He just hadn't found the perfect moment to make the engagement official yet.

"Is it really necessary?" Astrid asked, grateful that the dim light of the blacksmith's meant that no one could see how red her face had gone.

"Now, now – I know you two are betrothed but you know I'm old-fashioned when it comes to these things," Stoick laughed. Astrid sagged – okay, _maybe_ she'd been able to change her foster-father/future-father-in-law's mind about the dragons but she had to admit when it came to _this_ kind of thing, Stoick was as traditional as it got – as much as he was excited for his son and Astrid and wanted them to start their own family as soon as possible, he wanted Hiccup to officially propose to Astrid first. It was endearing at times but at others...well, Astrid went as red as a Monstrous Nightmare just thinking about it.

"Anyway, back to what we were saying..." Astrid began but Stoick cut across her again.

"Okay, never mind that for now," he said almost at the same time. "Quick test, for you, son," he smiled, walking over to the counter and taking a placard with a rune on it – it was the 'Being Served' placard that had been installed. "Lesson Two?" Hiccup's chief training snapped in automatically as he ran over to help his father.

"A chief's first duty is to his people," he recited. "Look, Dad..."

"Forty-one!" Stoick called into the crowd outside the forge. "Forty..."

"Hey, Stoick? Could we just talk in private for...?" Astrid muttered, poking the chief's shoulder but to no avail. A Viking named Starkard pushed to the front of the crowd.

"That's me! That's me! I'm next!" he shouted, pushing past Mrs Ack as he did so. "I was ahead of you!" he grunted. He finally got to the counter with a look of excited relief on his face. "Excuse me, I've been here all day," he grinned before reciting his order – saddles were one of the main things the forge made nowadays instead of dragon killing weapons. True, there was still the odd sword, axe or what-have-you made but dragon riding equipment was more common in the store now. "Okay – I want one of those big seaters, with lots of spiked and a big storage compartment," Starkard explained. Stoick nodded, still smiling.

"Absolutely! You got it, sir!" he agreed. He spun both Astrid and Hiccup around, walking them to the back of the shop where a large model dragon-mold was hanging, ready with large piles of leather next to it.

"Dad, listen..." Hiccup grimaced.

"This is kind of more important than building saddles," Astrid added. Stoick reprimanded her cheerily.

"Ah-ah! Listen here," he noted. "Lesson One of being a High Protector..." Oh, great. This again. "No task is too small when it comes to serving your people," he explained. Astrid huffed. Even now she struggled to get her foster-father to listen to her. As they reached the back of the forge, they hopped over a snoozing Hotburple – this was Gobber's dragon: a lazy oaf named Grump who was more commonly found sleeping than anything else. He wasn't quite a Gronkle but was a close relation of the species. "Excuse us, Grump!" Stoick grunted. Gobber walked over irritably and kicked his dragon awake.

"Grump! You let the forge die down again!" he snapped. Grump stirred lazily and coughed up a mass of molten-lava-like fire which splattered all over the forge explosively.

"EEK!" Astrid screeched, quickly side-stepping the carnage before she lost another limb. For someone who spent most of their time working with dragons, she didn't do terribly well with explosions. Gobber sighed and pulled a cord to activate the fire extinguisher, dumping water all over the place ("That's it, Grump. You're going up for adoption."). Meanwhile, Stoick fetched some tools from Astrid's workbench and placed them into a box which he handed to Hiccup before slapping a sheet of leather onto dragon-mold.

"There you go! Go on – have away," he instructed. Frustrated, Astrid picked up her pencil and began tracing an outline onto the leather.

"Seriously, Stoick – Hiccup and I need to tell you about this new land we came across," she insisted. This time, the older Vikings listened as Gobber switched his hand-attachments round.

"Another one?" the grumpy old cynic quizzed. At that point, the rest of the Riders wandered into the forge to catch the conversation.

"Did you find any new dragons?" Fishlegs asked excitedly.

"Well, we didn't stick around to find out," Hiccup shrugged. "These folks weren't exactly friendly," he added with a small snarl. Astrid placed a hand on his to calm him down before he broke something.

"Oh, really?" Gobber noted dryly. "Your dragons didn't bring them cheering to the rooftops?" Oh, funny.

"No! This was different!" Astrid protested. Okay, admittedly she'd had a few troubles with locals in lands she and Toothless came across but once she'd gotten a chance to talk to them, she was mostly able to calm things down. Heck, she'd even managed to get some more connections for Berk by helping other islands with their own dragon problems! "Not the standard run-for-the-hills hoo-ha I've come to enjoy," she continued sarcastically before finishing on a more serious note. "These guys were Trappers – _Dragon_ Trappers."

"You should've seen their fort!" Hiccup exclaimed. "All blown apart and stuck in giant spikes of ice – it was _weird_!"

"I've never seen anything like it," Astrid remarked. "And worst of all, they thought _we_ did it!" she added incredulously. Gobber had just fixed a brush attachment to his left arm and combed his moustache and eyebrows.

"You know, you two are gonna get yourselves into _serious_ trouble one of these days," he warned. "Not everyone appreciates this way of life." Stoick nodded and took the now outlined-leather to the table where he activated a large saw.

"Gobber's right, you two," he agreed solemnly. "Best we keep to our own. Besides, you'll have more important uses for your time," he added, his face breaking into an excited grin again. "Once you two make the big announcement!" he said in a sing-song manner. Astrid lost her patience and yanked the lever which controlled the saw down, her stormy eyes flashing dangerously in frustration – whenever they did that, people needed to make sure they didn't push Astrid over the edge. She had discovered a few years back that she had what people called a Berserker-mode in which she showed a hidden strength whenever she got angry enough to actually get physically violent. In this state, she had the potential to break even _Hiccup's_ arm!

"They are building a dragon army!" she hissed, hoping that Stoick would finally get the point. By the sound of things, everyone did – the forge fell silent and the Vikings outside who had been listening in exchanged worried glances. Finally, Astrid had their attention. "Or at least the guy they're working for is," she corrected herself. "Dar-go...Bloody Fist or...something," she shrugged. Stoick's eyes suddenly widened in alarm as he cast a glance at Gobber whose eyes also opened and closed rapidly in terror.

"I'll bloody his fist with my _face_ if he tries to take my dragon!" Tuffnut suddenly cut in. Ruffnut stepped up boldly by his side.

"Or mine!" she growled. Tuffnut sagged – uh, _same dragon_?!

"Urgh..." he groaned. "You're such a moron." Fishlegs and Snotlout both slid over to Ruffnut – she shuddered and gagged, revolted by their advances.

"A beautiful moron," Fishlegs murmured.

"Eww..." Ruffnut mumbled. Why? Why her? Ignoring the gang behind him, Stoick thundered over to Astrid and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Bludvist?" he asked urgently. "_Drago_ Bludvist?" Astrid tensed nervously – it had been a while since she'd seen Stoick like this and she'd forgotten how much that angry glare of his frightened her.

"Uh...yeah..." she nodded fearfully when something snapped. Clearly, Hiccup had put two and two together as well. "Wait..." Astrid murmured.

"You _know_ him?" Hiccup asked, his eyes narrowed into confused slits. Stoick didn't answer his son and instead ran straight out of the forge into the cave that housed the dragon stables, Astrid, Hiccup and Gobber hot on his heels.

"Ground all dragons!" he bellowed. Astrid stumbled over her leg in shock.

"WHAT?!" she squeaked, her voice rising an octave or two in shock. "Why?!" Stoick ignored her.

"Seal the gates! Lower the storm doors!" he ordered. Astrid ran over to catch up with him. Hiccup jogged closely behind her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! What's happening?" Hiccup panted. Stoick continued to shout orders at passing Vikings as Gobber ran off to enforce them.

"You heard the man! Lock it down!" the peg-legged blacksmith yelled. Astrid gasped as she heard the storm doors rattle as they were lowered.

"No dragon or Viking sets foot off this island until I give the word!" Stoick shouted. Astrid grabbed his arm and pulled the chief's attention towards her.

"Why? Because _some guy_ you knew is stirring up trouble in some faraway land?" she asked in frustration, her eyebrows knitting together as her voice snarled ever so slightly. Stoick faced her, more serious than she'd seen him in five entire years.

"Because Drago Bludvist is a madman!" he explained gravely. "Without conscience or mercy. And if he's built a dragon army...gods help us all," he added quietly. He continued to shout out orders whilst Astrid pondered in thought for a few moments...what if there was something she could do? Protecting Berk is what Stoick wanted her to do, right? "Get them into their pens! Quickly!" he barked. Astrid ran over, dodging past a wayward Nightmare to reach the man.

"Then let's ride back out there," she suggested calmly. "We'll follow those Trappers to Drago and talk some sense into him."

"No," Stoick refused. "We fortify the island." Astrid was stunned silent for a brief second.

"Wha...?" she spluttered. "It's our duty to keep the peace!" she protested.

"Peace is over, Astrid!" Stoick snapped, so sharply that even Hiccup cringed. "I must prepare the both of you for war." Hiccup looked shocked for a moment but quickly steeled his face into a determined acceptance, nodding ever so slightly ("Right."). Astrid, on the other hand, wasn't giving up.

"War?" she repeated in disbelief. "Stoick, if you want me to become High Protector of Berk, you have to let me do it my way!" she argued. "If Drago's coming for our dragons we can't just wait around and wait for him to get here! Let's go find him and change his mind!" she repeated, drawing herself up to her full five-foot-nine height. It was hardly impressive when she was put next to the six-foot-three giant of Stoick the Vast but she felt taller as her confidence, which had only grown over the last five years, began shining through.

"Some minds won't be changed, lass," Stoick sighed gravely. "If you _are_ going to become this village's High Protector as I wish you to be, _Berk_ is what you need to worry about." This time, Hiccup chimed in.

"Dad, from where I'm standing, it sounds like she _is_ worried about Berk!" he protested. "She's trying..."

"And the same applies for _you_, son!" Stoick snapped. "A chief protects his own!" he growled. Hiccup stiffened – of course. That was Lesson One of his chief training and had been grilled into his head since he could speak. He broke eye contact with his father and nodded as Stoick walked away, shouting more orders. "Secure the stables! Latch every stall!"

As the chief walked away, Astrid was left seething. A small growl sounded next to her – glancing over, she made eye contact with Toothless who cocked his head questioningly. Astrid nodded and began to walk over. Hiccup started and grabbed her arm.

"Astrid, don't!" he pleaded. Astrid turned quickly to face him.

"I have to," she apologised, standing on tiptoe to peck him on the cheek before she leapt onto Toothless' back. As Stoick continued shouting orders, Astrid kicked Toothless into the air and began shooting through the stables as fast as they possibly could, nearly knocking Stoick over as they passed by.

"ASTRID!" Stoick roared furiously. Astrid directed Toothless to the nearest exit only to skid to a halt in mid-air as it closed. Astrid shot her gaze around and spotted the second storm door – it was still slightly open, just enough for her and Toothless to fly through.

"COME ON!" she yelled as Toothless spun around and dove through the gap. Stoick ran after her but stopped dead in his tracks once the Night Fury had vanished through the door. He glared in the direction the young woman had flown in when...

"COME ON, GIRL!"

"HICCUP!" Stoick shrieked as Hiccup blew past him on Stormfly, slipping through the storm door just as it closed, leaving the chief fuming.

* * *

**FREEDOM IS FINALLY MINE! Well, guys - I have officially finished all of my exams so to celebrate have two chapters of _How a Hofferson Trains Her Dragon 2_ on the house! I'm going to try doing regular updates now - with any luck I'll be posting a new chapter for this story on Fridays at 8PM GMT. And so, with the introduction of Eret out of the way and Astrid and Hiccup going AWOL, I bid thee farewell until next week.**

**Side note, I've got a _Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons_ fanfiction going on over on my deviantART account if you guys want to check that out.**


	6. Eret's Lesson

**Eret's Lesson**

Over the cold and iceberg littered reaches of the ocean, the Dragon Trappers' ship was sailing in the late evening sunshine, heading straight north with the setting sun to their left as the sails were filled with a tail-wind, pushing the boat along at a swift pace. It had been a full day plus a bit since their encounter with the two Vikings and their dragons and as of yet they hadn't come across any more of the blasted scaled reptiles.

"Keep your eyes peeled, lads!" Eret called form the bowsprit. He was keeping an eye on the surface of the water for anything that looked even suspiciously like a dragon whilst his men watched the skies by the cannons. "With this speed we'll reach Drago by daybreak, so best we fill this ship up with dragons and quick!" he ordered, stepping down to the main deck. "It's no time to be picky – not if we want to keep our..."

"Uh...Eret?" one of the crewman mumbled (we'll call him Ug) as he pointed to the eastern sky. Eret squinting and spotted the familiar silhouettes of two dragons, flying ever closer to the ship and ever closer into the range of the cannons.

"...heads! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!" he yelled, riling his crew into action. "Net 'em, lads! Take 'em down!" Eret quickly loaded a nearby cannon but as he squinted again to get his aim correct, he recognised the dragons approaching – it was the Night Fury and Nadder from the day before and with them, their riders. "You're not getting away this time," he growled under his breath, firing the net.

In the air, Astrid and Hiccup swerved, ducked and weaved through the skies as their deftly avoided the flying nets.

"So are you ever going to tell me your plan?!" Hiccup shouted over the confusion to Astrid whose face was obscured by her helmet.

"Just play along with me, okay?" she called back, her voice slightly muffled.

"You're just saying that because you know I won't agree with you, aren't you?" Hiccup groaned. Astrid ignored him and dove down towards the ship. Toothless landed with a clutter as the crewmen scattered out of the way – Hiccup's landing with Stormfly was a bit more graceful as he drew Silver Edge from the sheath on his back. Eret snickered at the sight of the dragons and their riders.

"And here I was worried we might turn up empty-handed," he laughed cynically, brandishing his dagger. Hiccup twirled his sword in his left hand and his face narrowed into a glare, daring anyone to attack but Astrid removed her helmet and shook her fringe loose again before holding a gentle hand up to stop him.

"Nope, it's your lucky day," she smiled cheerily before holding her hands above her head in surrender. "We give up." Hiccup blinked in surprise as Astrid dismounted Toothless and pulled him off Stormfly's back – meanwhile, Eret and his crew exchanged confused glances and Eret lowered his dagger slightly. Okay...what? Astrid took a net from Ug and tossed it over Hiccup, ignoring his quiet yelp of protest as she began walking across the deck.

"That's one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder," she listed casually before taking Silver Edge from Hiccup and handing it to Eret who dropped it in his confusion. "And two of the finest Dragon Riders west of Luk Tuk. That ought to make the boss happy, right?" she continued, still with a cheerful smile on her face as she led Hiccup over to a grate which led down to the brig of the ship. "Excuse us," she muttered to No Name who was standing nearby. Once he was off the ladder leading into the hold, Hiccup threw the net off him and glared at Astrid – okay, whatever crazy plan she'd come up with now, he already hated it.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. Once again, Astrid ignored him as she stopped Toothless from following them into the brig.

"Toothless, stay," she ordered gently before flipping the hatch next to her and lowering the grate. "Yeah, the dragons don't really care much for cramped spaces," she explained with a small shrug, purely out of habit. "So they'll just hang out with you – they won't be any trouble."

Even so, Eret's crew immediately pointed their swords and spears in Toothless' direction, causing him to jump about five feet into the air as his eyes widened in shock. Once he'd regained his dignity (honestly, he'd looked like a cat for a moment) he snarled at the crewmen, regaining Astrid's attention as she poked her head above the grate through a small opening.

"Unless you do that," she remarked. She glanced around her and smirked slyly. "You know, wooden boat...big ocean..." she listed before raising a playful eyebrow at Eret's crew. "How's your swimming?" she asked innocently before ducking back below deck.

"Not good..." No Name admitted from just behind Eret who threw his head back slightly in exasperation – _how_ had _he_, Eret, Son of Eret, greatest Dragon Trapper alive, gotten stuck with such an incompetent crew as this? He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a blade scraping against metal – glancing down at the hatch, Eret yelped and stumbled backwards into his crew as the flaming blade of Inferno poked through the hatch. It quickly retracted and Astrid pulled herself up again.

"Whoops!" she giggled. "Almost forgot," she continued, offering the hilt up to the crew – Ug eventually took it from her. "Can't have armed prisoners." Hiccup poked her arm and glared at her from the bottom of the ladder.

"How the _flip_ is this a plan, you moron?!" he growled irritably. Astrid calmed him down and turned her attention back to the crew – secretly, she'd activated Inferno's other function: the gas release and now, Hideous Zippleback gas was spilling onto the deck.

"Just what every Dragon Trapper needs," she noted, almost like a professional salesperson. "One end coats the blade in Monstrous Nightmare spit – the other sprays Hideous Zippleback gas," she explained, getting ready to duck. "All it takes is a spark and..."

Astrid grinned when she heard the familiar click of the lighter going off – a spark ignited at the end of the hilt and ignited the gas. Astrid dropped down the ladder a few rungs and shielded her head against the resulting explosion before poking her head up again – she laughed slightly when she saw Toothless pawing at an ember like a kitten.

"Yep – there you go," she remarked, leaning on her elbow. Her beam widened as Toothless chased the embers around the deck – for the dragon dubbed as the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself, Toothless was too adorable for his own good. "Once they see you as one of their own, even the testiest dragons can be trained," Astrid continued before casting a glance at Toothless who ran straight over to her. "Right, pal?" she chuckled, scratching him under the chin and causing him to gurgle and fall over, as per usual. Eret was losing his patience – he grabbed Inferno from Ug.

"Give me that!" he snapped, hurling the contraption overboard. Astrid wasn't overly worried – Stormfly had shot straight after the thing. Eret turned around and glared at the Nordic Blonde. "What game are you playing?" he questioned darkly. Astrid still kept her casual demeanour.

"No game," she shrugged. "We just want to meet Drago," she explained. Eret's dark glare didn't lessen.

"Why?" he quizzed. This time, Astrid's face changed from a casual expression to a determined glare of her own as her eyes narrowed and she pushed herself up on the grate. Stormfly had returned with Inferno and placed it at Eret's feet, eager for a game of fetch. He threw it overboard again and she brought it back just as quickly – this time, Eret ignored her.

"Because _I'm_ going to change his mind about dragons," Astrid replied shortly. Eret and his crew suddenly burst out laughing mockingly – Astrid didn't let it faze her. It wouldn't be the first time someone had laughed cruelly at her ideas. By this time, however, Hiccup had poked his own head above the grate and had pushed himself up so that he was perched on the edge.

"Actually, she can be _really_ persuasive," he shrugged, patting Astrid confidently on the shoulder. Now that he thought about it, Hiccup actually had confidence that Astrid might be able to pull this off – after all, if she could change _his_ mind about dragons, as she had done after 'kidnapping' him all those years ago after he'd discovered her secret, there was a possibility that she could change Eret's mind as well. Astrid smiled at the boost of confidence and hooked her arm over Toothless' head.

"Once you've earned his loyalty, there is _nothing_ a dragon won't do for you," she insisted. Eret let out a disbelieving 'ha'.

"You won't be changing any minds around here," he argued. Astrid set Toothless' tail to a flight position and hoisted herself out of the grate.

"I can change _yours_," she said confidently, her eyebrows twitching to accentuate 'yours' as she spoke. "Right here, right now." Eret sneered suspiciously as he eyed Astrid preparing Toothless' saddle before she turned to face him again. "May I?" she asked politely. Eret pondered for a moment before drawing his sword.

"Well, seeing as Drago won't care if I deliver you dead or alive," he snickered. "I'll give you as long as it takes for me to remove that noisy, oversized head of yours." Toothless growled at a crewman trying to mess with his tail as Astrid finished fixing the saddle. "How's that?"

"Fair enough," Astrid replied before casting a glance over her shoulder at Hiccup. "Is my head _really_ oversized?" she muttered. Hiccup smirked at her.

"I don't know about oversized but he got the 'noisy' part right," he snickered.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Astrid poked her tongue out at him. "Hilarious," she mumbled sarcastically before turning to Eret. "So, you trap dragons and ship them...north, to Drago?" she asked.

"Except when they're stolen by you!" Eret roared, swinging round on a part of the rigging as he swung his dagger at Astrid. She rolled out of the way and snatched up Inferno from the ground – not that she had any intention of using it but it was a comfort to know it was strapped to her leg. Instead, she drew her knife and swung it at a pile of barrels that were roped up on deck, sending them rolling all over the place at the boat rocked on the icy waves.

"Right," she noted, deciding to play along with Eret's frustrations seeing as he _clearly_ didn't believe that she and Hiccup weren't behind what happened back at the fort. "My friend the Dragon Thief and his ice-spitting buddy?" she remembered cynically as Eret landed on one of the rolling barrels – remarkably, he managed to keep his balance.

"Your days of rescuing dragons are over!" the man growled. "Drago has found the ice-spitter's cave!" he added, swinging his sword at Astrid's head. She ducked out of the way and was grateful that all those years of dodging swords thrown by Hiccup when he was in a bad mood had finally amounted to something. "Soon, all of your dragons will be training for _his_ army!"

"Oh, the dragon army," Astrid gulped, ducking Eret's blade as well as the swinging mast. Okay, she had to keep the man distracted... "How...how exactly did he pull that off?" she asked out of genuine curiosity. "I mean, dragons aren't really the easiest to..." Eret finally decided to use the barrel he was balancing on as more than a way to move around. He slipped off backwards and used the momentum to kick the thing towards Astrid. "TRAIN!" she yelped, not having enough time to react apart from lifting an arm to shield her head – the barrel knocked her backwards and Eret took the advantage to pin her against the railing.

"Even_ dragons_ know better than to cross Drago Bludvist," he growled, holding Astrid by the scruff of her neck.

"Get off her!" Hiccup snapped in the background but Astrid held up a defensive hand to let him know she was okay. It didn't stop his snatching Silver Edge off the deck though. Eret otherwise ignored the young man behind him.

"Is this part of changing my mind?" he asked with a mocking sneer. Astrid smiled as she raised one hand with a finger pointing skyward and the other with her palm splayed – Eret failed to notice that she was by a vice on the side of the railing.

"That part's coming," she grinned, smacking the level down and grabbing the rope so that she was pulled off the deck and swung around with the sail as it was set loose. However, she'd forgotten to factor in one thing... "ROOOOOPE BUUUURRRRN!" she shrieked in pain as the rope slipped through her palms. Hiccup raised an eyebrow from the deck below.

"Told you that you should've made leather gloves to go with that stupid outfit!" he shouted.

"It's not 'stupid'!" Astrid protested as she slammed against the mast that held the sail up. She pulled herself and clung to the curved surface of the mast. "It's practical…" she grumbled to herself as she recovered from being winded up impact with the mast.

"Come on, now!" Eret shouted from below, rushing up to catch up to his opponent. "Drago's about to take over the world! You're either with him or against him!" Astrid smirked and cast a glance at Toothless and Hiccup beneath her. Eret eventually climbed up behind her, forcing her to retreat backwards. "And the way _I_ see it, 'against him' is a losing proposition!" he snapped. Astrid scrambled to her feet but fell over backwards almost instantly. She grunted and cast another glance at Toothless. Come on...work...

"Any last words to change my mind?" Eret sneered. Astrid made a face and shrugged, making sure that her hand was closed around the hilt of her knife.

"Nope," she shook her head. "Just this," she added sharply, drawing her knife and slicing through the rope which kept the mast at an angle. As the tension was released, the beam of wood acted as a catapult, sending both Astrid and Eret flying towards a formation of icebergs and sharp rocks but not before Astrid had been able to make one last smug smirk at her opponent. Toothless squeaked and sprung into action to rescue his rider...there went another ten years onto his mental age.

"ASTRID?!" Hiccup screeched in shock horror from the ship. He shot a glance at Teeny who stood frozen in terror behind him. "Remind me _why_ I'm engaged to her again?!" he asked, exasperated. Teeny shrugged in bewilderment.

"YOU IDIOT!" Eret screamed as he sailed through the air – Astrid looked as calm as anything. Eret's screams grew louder as he drew closer to the large ice and rock formation – he was going to be skewered on those spikes. No questions asked. He was a goner. Done for. Ex-Dragon Trapper. Ceased to be.

"Whoa!" Astrid grunted as she landed on a black, scaled back. As expected, Toothless was there in record time. Grinning to herself, she slotted her foot into the stirrup and let Toothless dive after Eret, snatching him from his fall before he became flattened on the rocks.

"AH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" Eret screamed as Astrid manoeuvred Toothless through the spines and back to the ship, flying at the breakneck speed that the Night Fury was famous for. Okay, even Astrid had to admit that this was kind of payback for what Eret and his crew had done to Stormfly but she made sure not to overdo it.

"Hold on!" she called with the air of a professional as she directed Toothless back towards the ship, with Eret screaming the entire way. Once they were within a safe distance, Toothless flung the Dragon Trapper onto the deck as he landed and Astrid dismounted. Eret quickly regained his composure but his hair was now flyaway and he was panting half from shock and half from relief to be back on the ground.

"So?" Astrid quizzed as she dismounted Toothless. Eret tried to glare at her but it wasn't as dark as it had been before.

"S...so what?" he spluttered. "_You_ didn't do anything!" he accused. "Your _dragon_ did it all!"

"Exactly," Astrid nodded firmly. She glanced fondly at Toothless and smiled briefly before turning to face Eret again. "I said it before and I'll say it again – once you've earned a dragon's loyalty, there is _nothing_ they won't do for you." Eret glowered at her.

"They've done _enough_ for us already!" he snapped. He was interrupted by a happy gurgle as he turned to face his crew. He turned around again and was stunned to see Toothless rolling around on the deck as Astrid tickled his stomach, cooing almost in baby-talk as she did so.

"Who's a good boy? Who's a _good_ boy?" she cooed sweetly. Hiccup flushed and pinched his eyebrows together..._Dragon Trappers, my future wife_, he thought to himself. "Who saved the big old grumpy loud mouth from splattering on the rocks? That was you!"

"You're..._actually_ engaged to this woman?" Teeny muttered to Hiccup.

"Apparently," he nodded.

"You saved him!" Astrid continued her baby-talk praise as Toothless circled her happily, purring and gurgling as he went. Eret just stared at her incredulously – Astrid eventually stopped and glanced up at the man, hoping to hear something about how it _was_ Toothless that had saved Eret's life.

She didn't get the chance as something grabbed both of her arms and yanked her off the deck.

* * *

**Just a quick heads up - no updates next week. I'll have a double-update ready to make up for it though.**

**If anyone is interested, that segment involving Astrid catapulting herself and Eret off the mast was indeed based on the deleted scene, or extension, of the 'Eret's Lesson' scene from the movie. There are storyboards and voice-acting for it but as far as I can tell there's no animation of the scene. Still, I liked it and decided to include it because why not? Besides, it gives Eret a little bit more 'screen time' as it were.**

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far and I'll see you in a couple of weeks!**


	7. Going AWOL

**Going A.W.O.L**

Astrid continued her baby-talk praise as Toothless circled her happily, purring and gurgling as he went. Eret just stared at her incredulously – Astrid eventually stopped and glanced up at the man, hoping to hear something about how it _was_ Toothless that had saved Eret's life.

She didn't get the chance as something grabbed both of her arms and yanked her off the deck.

"ARGH!" Astrid shrieked.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup yelled as a Monstrous Nightmare sliced through the sail and snapped the mast in half. "ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND TODAY OR SOMETHING?!" he added, his voice cracking slightly in frustration. Toothless also shrieked and bounded up the remains of the mast after his rider.

"Dragon Riders!" Eret yelled. Toothless growled after the dragon that had captured his rider, only to relax when he recognised the red and black scales of said Nightmare. Five years ago, he'd fought the same dragon to protect his human. It was Hookfang and Astrid wasn't best pleased.

"Put me down!" she snapped angrily. Glancing around, Astrid glared when she spotted the other members of the gang. The twins were approaching fast and Fishlegs hung slightly behind so that left... "SNOTLOUT!" Astrid bellowed. "What are you doing?!" Snotlout ignored her.

"See how well I protect and provide?" he called to Ruffnut, making sure she'd witnessed the catch. Ruffnut grumbled at Snotlout's attempt at wooing when a flying net flew past, barely missing her head. She and her brother suddenly became preoccupied with not getting hit.

"WHOA! What's with all the nets?!" Tuffnut yelped. Ruffnut ducked as another net whizzed past Barf's head.

"Hey, watch it!" she grunted. "That was..." She turned her head back towards the boat and that was when she saw him. "...close..."

A handsome face on a head that was supported by broad muscular shoulders. Arms that were exposed by the sleeveless fur tunic. Biceps that glistened in the early evening sunshine.

"Oh, my!" Ruffnut exclaimed slowly as she took in the sight – she liked...no, _loved_ what she saw. "Me likey," she grinned. On the boat below, Eret fired the net towards the twins – in unfurled almost in slow motion as Ruffnut threw her arms open in bliss whilst Tuffnut stared at her incredulously. "Take me!"

Back with Astrid, she'd just about lost her temper and had kicked herself free of Hookfang's grip. Quickly, she snapped open her flight suit and began gliding unsteadily back towards the boat, not noticing that Eret had his net cannon trained in her direction – luckily, Hiccup stepped in and shoved Eret away.

"Hold your fire!" he ordered, throwing the net off course so that it just missed Astrid. She grabbed a rope and slid back down towards the deck ("OW! OW! OW! ROPE BURN!" Astrid was starting to think Hiccup was right about the leather glove idea), stumbling around madly as Toothless dropped down beside her and the other Riders landed on the deck.

"_What_ are you guys_ doing_ here?!" she roared, hastily folding away her flight suit as her stormy eyes flashed with lightning. Hiccup kept his distance – Berserker Mode alert.

"We are here to _rescue_ you!" a cynical voice snapped. It was Gobber who landed Grump nearby, scattering Eret's crew – Astrid was, quite frankly, amazed that the boat didn't capsize. Then again, it was made for holding dragons so she supposed that it was built to hold this sort of weight. Even so, she was infuriated. Did _no one_ other than Hiccup actually _trust_ her to do what she thought she did best?

"I don't _need_ to be rescued!" she retaliated angrily, feeling a strong urge to break something.

"ENOUGH!" a commanding voice bellowed as a shadow landed behind the sail. Astrid and Hiccup cringed as Stoick dismounted Skullcrusher and began storming over, absolutely fuming. Eret wasn't overly happy with the number of Dragon Riders on his ship and walked forward to block Stoick.

"Well, didn't _you_ just pick the wrong ship?" he snickered in his cocky and confident manner. "I am Eret, Son of E..." Uninterested, Stoick shoved the man's face aside, sending him toppling to the floor and slamming into Grump. Before Eret had any time to recover, Gobber moved Grump so that the Hotburple was sitting on the man, knocking the breath out of him. "Get...this...thing off me!" Eret gasped. Gobber ignored him.

"Anyone else?" he glowered at the rest of the crew, daring them to make a move. No one did. "That's what I figured," he added at the lingering silence. Stoick glared at Astrid, his piercing eyes locking with hers in an intense stare down.

"You. Saddle up," he ordered. "We're going home." Hiccup began shuffling back towards Stormfly but an immediate response from his fiancée caught him off guard.

"No," Astrid retorted sharply and firmly. Hiccup gulped – here it comes...

"Of all the irresponsible...!" Stoick began when Astrid snapped across him, drawing herself up to her full height and baring her teeth furiously.

"I am trying to protect our dragons and stop a war!" she protested, her eyes flashing with anger and frustration and her hands pointing around wildly and aggressively. "_How_ is that irresponsible?!"

"Because _war_ is what he _wants_, lass!" Stoick roared. Astrid's frustrated glare didn't lessen – in fact, her face glared back at him with a ferocious intensity that sent Eret's crew quaking. Stoick knew that he had some explaining to do. Hopefully the girl in front of him would finally understand. "Years ago there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced," he explained, the memory of the fateful night rushing back to him as if it had only occurred the previous week.

/\

_"__This war between man and dragon has plagued us for generations!" a chief huffed from his throne in the Great Hall. Stoick listened in carefully – any suggestions for getting rid of the dragons would be welcome to him right now. Valka had just given birth to their first child...a son. The boy was small – he'd been born far too early for most to consider a strong and healthy child so the new parents had called him Hiccup, according to the tradition of the village. But Stoick had confidence in the boy – the lad was crying louder than most dragons roared within hours of his birth and Stoick felt he had every reason to believe the boy would grow to be a great chief in his own right._

_All he wanted was a world where the boy wouldn't have to live in fear of his entire village being burnt to the ground in a single night._

_"__We've tried searching for their main nest," another Viking sighed. "We've drawn up blanks so far."_

_"__Aye," Stoick nodded from his throne. "We've sent out expeditions into Helheim's Gate ourselves but we're losing ships fast – there's no safe way to navigate the fog," he explained. There was a mumbling around the hall when the door opened. Stoick's eyes narrowed as he eyes the stranger that walked into the chiefs' midst. He wasn't someone that Stoick recognised from being from any of the islands in the Barbaric Archipelago – clearly he was from some strange distant land no one had heard of._

_Stoick took in the appearance of the man as he walked into the hall. He had to be at least as tall as Stoick was and just as imposing. But the way he moved wasn't commanding – it was slow, almost gentle but there was a darkness to it that unnerved the Hooligan chief. When his face caught the firelight of the hall, Stoick shuddered at the amount of scars the man bore on his face and arm (at least, the one that was visible. The other was hidden by a cloak that appeared to be made of dragon hide). His face was framed by a matted mane of tangled black hair and his beady eyes glinted darkly in the firelight. From what Stoick could see, he wasn't carrying any weapons._

_"__Greetings, chieftains," he greeted softly. "I understand that your tribes are facing problems with dragons."_

_"__Indeed – what business is it of yours?" one of the chiefs asked curtly._

_"__I am merely here to offer my assistance," the man bowed slightly but Stoick had a feeling he didn't mean that bow as anything else but a mocking sign of politeness. However, his offer sounded interesting._

_"__Who are you, Stranger?" he questioned. The man turned to face him._

_"__My name, good chief, is Drago Bludvist," he introduced himself. "I am a man of the people. For years I have devoted my life into freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons."_

_The chiefs' interest was now caught. Even Stoick leant on the arm of his throne and listened intently – what did this Drago have to offer in terms of service that could protect his wife and child?_

_"__You have our interest, Drago Bludvist," one of the chiefs noted. "Tell us your offer." Drago paced around the hall, looking at each chief in turn. His calm and quiet demeanour commanded the attention of the room._

_"__I alone can control the dragons," he explained. Stoick frowned – a man who could control dragons? Impossible. "I alone can keep you safe from them."_

_"__Is that so?" Stoick muttered, barely in hearing range. Drago didn't appear to notice the remark._

_"__All I ask is that you choose to bow down and follow me."_

_A mocking laughter erupted through the Viking council._

/\

"Ha!" Snotlout and Fishlegs chortled.

"Stupid," Ruffnut snickered.

"Good one," Tuffnut chimed in. The villains _always_ made that claim – everyone who'd fought against a guy wanting to conquer something knew that. Stoick's face didn't change from its pained and regretful expression.

"Aye, we laughed too," he sighed.

/\

_And the laughter echoed throughout the hall, Drago glared at the chiefs and wrapped himself in his dragon skin cloak as he marched towards the exit._

_"__Then see how well you do without me!" he cried out. Stoick's brow furrowed before his eyes widened as he heard a snapping of wood. Darting his gaze to the roof, he cried out on horror as the roof suddenly burst into flames. Mass panic ensued as the Viking chiefs ran to find an exit but wherever they ran, their paths were blocked by dragons that descended from the burning roof. Stoick froze in terror as he saw them – these weren't like other dragons. They were armoured._

_Flames consumed everything around him and Stoick watched in horror as his fellow chieftains succumbed to the fire or were brought down by the dragons. He couldn't allow himself to focus on it...he had to escape...he had to return to Valka and Hiccup..._

_After all, it took more than a little fire to kill him._

/\

"I...was the only one to escape," Stoick finished, his voice stinging with regret as the entire deck fell silent. The gang exchanged spooked glances and Hiccup looked horrified – so _that_ was how his father knew Drago. No wonder he was so adamant to Astrid that this man's mind would not be changed...he was a mindless, murdering madman.

"No wonder you snapped when you saw how Astrid was with Hookfang during the Final Exam," he muttered, realising what Stoick must have seen. To him, a person who could control dragons was just like Drago. To him, when Astrid had thrown down her weapons and began speaking softly to the Monstrous Nightmare, she had become the soft-spoken weapon-less man that had killed pretty much an entire gathering of chiefs by using dragons. Hiccup could only imagine his father's amazement and relief when he later saw Astrid use the same dragons to fight the tyrannical Red Death and truly bring peace between the Hooligans and the dragons. Stoick nodded regretfully before turning to face Astrid who stood in contemplating silence.

"A man who kills without reason _cannot_ be reasoned with!" he insisted. Astrid sighed and walked over to her dragon again.

"Maybe," she accepted. Stoick's eyes narrowed in frustration – _still_?! After _all_ that explaining?!

"Astrid...!" he began but Astrid cut him off as she jumped onto Toothless' back and activated his tail fin.

"I'm still going to try," she said firmly, looking at her chief...her foster-father...directly in the eye. "This is what I'm good at!" she pointed out. "You want me to be High Protector? Fine," she added. Wasn't this what being a High Protector was all about, after all? Stopping a war before it even happened? "If I could change _your_ mind...I can change his, too," she decided before kicking Toothless into the air. "Come on."

With that, Astrid and Toothless took to the skies, leaving everyone back on the ship in a stunned and awkward silence. Hiccup gritted his teeth – he knew Astrid was going to get herself into trouble. Okay, he knew that he also worried too much but he couldn't help it. Despite hating her for the best part of their childhood, Hiccup had always felt an instinct to protect Astrid. When they were five, about a year or so after Astrid had moved in with the Haddocks, there had been a dragon raid during which a dragon had broken into the Haddock home and had cornered the two children in their room (coincidently, it had been after that particular raid that Hiccup had insisted on the house being rebuilt with separate rooms) – even then, Hiccup had shielded Astrid against the dragon as it towered over them. It never made a move to hurt them but it had been that night that Hiccup had gotten the scar on his chin and lost his mother...his mother who had been captured by that dragon when trying to get Astrid to safety.

"Let's go, girl," Hiccup muttered to Stormfly, preparing to jump onto her back when Stoick snapped behind him.

"No!" the chief growled. "Hiccup – I want you to lead the others back to Berk." Hiccup paused and lowered himself from Stormfly's flank hesitantly. The tone in his father's voice wasn't one he'd heard in a long time but it was that tone of voice that always made Hiccup feel as if he'd disappointed his father in some way. If there was anything that Hiccup hated the most, it was being a disappointment to his father – it was something he'd grown up with and still suffered from every now and then. But what Stoick said next made Hiccup's temper flare.

"I've had enough mutiny for one day."

"Mutiny?" Hiccup repeated in disbelief. "Mutiny?!" he repeated more forcefully. "_That's_ what you're calling this?!" he snapped.

"Hiccup, enough," Stoick instructed firmly. No. Hiccup was _done_ taking orders.

"No! Not enough!" he huffed. "You heard Astrid! She's trying to protect Berk here! Isn't that what a High Protector's supposed to do?!"

"If she finds Drago..." Stoick began.

"If she finds Drago she might actually get a chance to do what she does best!" Hiccup argued. The rest of the gang cringed – it had been a while since conversation between the chief and his son had gotten_ this_ heated, not counting that morning...which had also been pretty bad. It had woken up Mildew on the other side of the island and he was half-deaf now. "She's a peacekeeper, Dad! Isn't that what we've all agreed on?!"

"Did you not hear me, son?!" Stoick bellowed. "Drago will _not_ listen to her!"

"You don't know that!" Hiccup retorted. "_I_ never listened to her growing up..._YOU_ never listened to her until five years ago!" he pointed out angrily. "Look where we are now _because_ we listened! Wasn't it for the..." He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence properly as his arm was nearly yanked out of its socket and he was snatched off the ship by a black dragon with a red tail fin. "BEEEEEEST!" he screeched in surprise.

"HICCUP!" Stoick cried, running to the railing when he recognised the dragon.

"SORRY! BORROWING HIM!" a high-pitched voice shouted from the skies, barely audible above the wind.

"ASTRID! YOU BOTH GET BACK HERE!" Stoick bellowed but by now the Night Fury and the two Vikings were out of hearing range. Stoick quickly pinned Stormfly to the ground before she could fly after them – he was _not_ losing any more of his own that evening. Meanwhile, in the skies, Hiccup had twisted himself around in Toothless' grip to glare irritably at the Nordic Blonde on the dragon's back.

"Why is it always kidnapping with you?!" he huffed. Astrid shot him a glance as Toothless flipped him onto his back.

"Why is it always _violence_ with you?" she retaliated. Hiccup made a face and smacked a fist between her shoulder blades. "OW! Case closed," Astrid mumbled.

"You _know_ I hate it when you do that," Hiccup grumbled, not noticing Astrid mouthing the sentence in front of him.

"I heard you the last four hundred and fifty seven times you said that," she muttered under her breath and making sure that her helmet was still hooked onto the saddle.

Back on the Trapper's boat, Stoick's face had gone red with anger and if he was a dragon he would have started spitting flames by now. He turned to face Snotlout – it wasn't ideal but it was the next best thing.

"Snotlout, lead the rest of the gang and Stormfly back to Berk," he ordered. Snotlout looked both amazed and pleased with himself to be put in charge by the chief. "Gobber, with me," Stoick added shortly as he walked back toward Skullcrusher. As he walked across the deck, he nearly didn't notice Ruffnut fawning over the still-trapped-under-Grump Eret. Needless to say, the Dragon Trapper didn't seem to be enjoying her attentions.

"Ooh! I like that," Ruffnut grinned slyly, patting Eret's muscular forearm – he yanked it away quickly and grimaced in disgust.

"Ruffnut!" Stoick snapped.

"Urgh! Okay!" Ruffnut groaned, kissing her hand and planting it on Eret's face before she walked away – Eret quickly wiped his cheek and refrained from gagging.

Worst. Day. Ever.

* * *

**I'm back! Thanks to UndertheWillowTrees for the "BORROWING HIM!" idea! If you're reading this, thank you so much! Yes, Hiccup's accompanying his Lady Dear for this – reasons will be explained later. This is the point where this story becomes less of a full out role-reversal - there were two ways I was thinking of writing the story, one of which you shall read and the other I'll explain at a later date.**

**Side note, you guys may know that I write my stories ahead of publishing chapters and just to let you know, this one only has two chapters left to write! Hope you look forward to the rest of the story and I'll see you next Friday for the next chapter. Also, if you're following my ****_Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons_**** story over on deviantART, ****_One Step at a Time_****, I'll be going back to Monday updates next week. Feel free to send in suggestions for cameos from other Disney/Dreamworks characters (including TV shows but keep it to animation!).**


	8. The Dragon Thief

**The Dragon Thief**

**By the way, thanks again to UndertheWillowTrees (if you're reading this!) for helping me out with t****his chapter!**

* * *

The sun was setting over the western-horizon and the sky had turned a beautiful shade of blood-orange. The clouds were streaked in various shades of pink, orange, red and purple as the sky above began fading into an indigo darkness, signifying the falling night. Such as sky warranted the admiration of many a Viking sailor or a creature wandering the area...

Except that of a Night Fury mounted by two twenty-year old Vikings: a Nordic Blonde woman with one leg and an auburn-haired man sat right behind her.

Astrid and Hiccup hadn't spoken since they'd left the Dragon Trappers' ship at Toothless' tail and had ran from Stoick and the others. Astrid hadn't said a word because she was still seething after her dealings with the Hooligan chief and Hiccup hadn't spoken because he could sense Astrid's upset – as such, an awkward silence had fallen over the course of the flight. Both of the young adults' faces were fixed into a hateful glare as Astrid's storm blue eyes were fixated on the horizon ahead, as if she wanted to reach it but the faster she flew, the faster it retreated.

"AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!" she suddenly, shrieked, throwing her fists in the air and startling Hiccup before she faceplanted on Toothless' head.

"Gods...no need to flip out like that..." Hiccup mumbled.

"Shut up..." Astrid snapped back, her voice muffled by Toothless' scales. Hiccup winced and patted his fiancée's shoulder in apology...he knew why Astrid was so frustrated. She was sick and tired of Stoick constantly not allowing her to do what she thought she did best...frustrated with being saddled with expectations. Toothless cooed gently as if to ask his rider what was wrong – he knew she was never this quiet unless she was seriously upset about something. Astrid propped herself up on her arms and patted the side of Toothless' head.

"Don't worry, pal – I'm not going to let anything happen to you," she whispered. "I promise." The trio remained silent for a while until Toothless' attention was caught by something moving in the clouds, disturbing the fluffy puffs of moisture as it passed. He growled quietly at it and Hiccup picked up on the dragon's distress – squinting at the red-stained clouds of sunset, he snarled himself as he spotted what looked like the end of the staff. His instinct to defend himself kicking in, his placed a hand on the hilt of Silver Edge.

"Psst! Astrid!" he hissed, shaking his fiancée's shoulder. Astrid glanced over at the figure rising out of the clouds and huffed...honestly?

"Oh, come on, Stoick? Really?" she snapped, pushing herself upright only to freeze at what greeted her – the figure in front of her was definitely not Hiccup's father. It was a heavily armoured person, not much taller than Hiccup if Astrid had to take a guess, with a large mask decorated with spines that swept backwards, as well as two on either side of the chin that protruded forwards like large fangs. They were holding a long bull-staff with what looked like some kind of rattle at the end...was this the Dragon Rider that Eret had been talking about? Or could it possibly be that it was...?

Astrid didn't get time to finish her own question as the figure ducked out of sight again into the orange-pink clouds below. Astrid placed a hand on Toothless' head and glanced nervously over her shoulder at Hiccup, who still had his hand hovering by Silver Edge's hilt.

"Okay...no sudden moves," she murmured. She didn't want to start a fight if she didn't have to...she had to let whoever this person was that she and her companions weren't threats.

Turns out there was no chance for a sudden move to be made as Toothless was suddenly knocked on the chin by a far larger dragon as it burst through the clouds, sending him spiralling head over tail for a few seconds. Astrid shrieked and grabbed Toothless' harness tightly, barely managing to stay on his back. Hiccup, unfortunately, hadn't been so lucky.

"WHOA!" he screeched, plummeting beneath the cloud barrier and towards what Astrid could only guess was a frozen ocean below. "HELP!" Astrid's eyes widened with fear and she forgot about their assailant, not even stopping to get a good look at the dragon that had just ambushed them.

"TOOTHLESS! DIVE!" she yelled. Toothless didn't hesitate and shot after the young man instantly, following the sounds of Hiccup's cries for help when they were suddenly cut short by a sharp grunt. Astrid and Toothless broke through the clouds to spy a large dragon shot upwards towards the clouds...with a struggling young Viking wearing a green tunic and pale fur cloak. "NO!"

"THIS IS _REALLY_ GETTING OLD!" Hiccup yelled in between his unnaturally high shrieks. Astrid yanked Toothless out of the dive but in her panic wasn't able to switch Toothless' tail position fast enough to properly make the jack-knife turn she needed. When they finally started heading skyward again they were face to face with the dragon that had first ambushed them. On closer inspection, Astrid noted its owl-like appearance, with horns fanning out around its head. Toothless was forced to tread air as the dragon in front of him beat its own powerfully...Astrid gasped when she spotted that it had not only one pair but two, splayed out in a X shape.

Then there were the eyes. Astrid knew those pools of golden amber from somewhere...

Toothless growled and bared his teeth at the dragon and Astrid forced herself to look at its rider, gripping the saddle as tightly as she dared and increasingly worried about Hiccup. At the same time, she had to let this person know she wasn't a threat.

"Hold on, boy! Hold on!" she panted, her face twisted into a frightened expression as her eyes widened and her eyebrows went so high up her forehead they creased against her headband. Suddenly, Astrid felt herself being pulled from Toothless' back as her arms were caught in a pair of vice-grip paws. Yelping from the initial shock, it turned into terror when Astrid caught a glimpse of Toothless, now without a rider and his tail not in a locked position, plummeting through the clouds towards the ice, screeching as he did.

"TOOTHLESS!" Astrid shrieked, thrashing as much as the vice-grip of the dragon carrying her would allow her to. Eventually the dragon carrying her caught up with the one carrying Hiccup who cast a worried glance at his fiancée when he realised that Toothless was no longer with her.

As the dragons were joined by others in the sky, all following the four-winged owl-like dragon and its rider, Toothless crashed beneath the frozen surface of the ocean. Struggling to the surface, he crooned desperately after his friend and Hiccup as they were taken away from him. His flying gear made it difficult for him to stay afloat and without his tail in the proper position, he couldn't gain the right speed to get himself out of the water.

The sun by this time had disappeared beyond the horizon and even Toothless' sharp eyes had lost track of the flock of dragons in the darkening sky. His desperate wails were muffled as a gentle wing belonging to some kind of sea dragon pulled him under the waves and through the icy waters.

As the Night Fury vanished, Astrid's helmet floated to the surface and drifted to the edge of the ice where Silver Edge lay on the frozen surface of the ocean.

* * *

**Short chapter but it would have ended up being ****_really_**** long if combined with the next one. Besides, this was a nice place to end it and the chapters are just going to get quite long on average from here on out.**

**So, from this point, you can see that things are starting to become less full-out role reversal like _How a Hofferson Trains her Dragon_ was. Just going to let you know, this chapter could have gone one of two ways - the full details are in a new section on my profile which I've labelled '_Trivia_' (basically little facts that I've written about my stories like a kind of behind-the-scenes features, just in case anyone's interested).**

**See you guys next week with the next chapter of _How a Hofferson Trains her Dragon 2_! Until then, feel free to check out my _Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons_ fanfiction, _One Step at a Time_, over on deviantART. Later!**


	9. Lady Valka

**Lady Valka**

"HEY!" Astrid yelled, kicking the air with everything she had. Hiccup was punching the paw of the dragon holding him as hard as he could and mentally kicking himself from dropping Silver Edge. He had no idea if he was ever going to get a chance to get that blade back and whilst Inferno was an impressive weapon, he didn't know how it would hold up against their captor's bull-staff if it came to that.

"Oi! You left her dragon back there!" he shouted at the masked rider.

"Please! He can't fly on his own!" Astrid begged. "He'll drown." They received no reply and instead were left dangling in the paws of the dragons...a species that was unfamiliar even to Astrid with her extensive exploration. They continued to weave among the other dragons until the iceberg littered ocean cleared momentarily to reveal a gigantic structure of ice. It looked incredibly similar to the explosion of ice that had encased Eret's fort.

"Uh…is…isn't that...?" Hiccup called. Astrid only just heard him above the wind.

"The ice-spitter?" she finished. Their conversation was cut short as the dragons carrying them swooped after the four-winged beast and its rider through a cave system of basalt columns. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the light but Astrid suddenly had a flashback of heading into the Helheim's Gate Dragon's Nest for the first time as she spotted the shadows of dragons crowded in the crevices and on the ledges. Eventually, they came to a large cavern in the caves and were dropped – Hiccup landed first and rolled to soften the impact but Astrid's landing was far less graceful...in fact, she stumbled around for a bit before crashing into her fiancé and sending both of them flying.

"We _need_ to work on your landing skills," Hiccup grunted. Astrid was hardly listening as she scanned the darkness for the person who'd ambushed them.

"Hey! We need to go back for my dragon!" she pleaded. Hiccup suddenly stepped backwards into her, grabbing her wrist as he did.

"Maybe that can wait," he muttered. "Wild dragons at everywhere o'clock!" he hissed. Astrid's stormy eyes darted around and her face set into a determined scowl as she was faced with the enormous number of hissing dragons. Thinking quickly, she unhooked Inferno from her leg and extended the flaming blade. Shielding Hiccup with one arm, she gently waved Inferno in front of her, almost hypnotising the awestruck dragons watching and calming them down.

"Easy..." she murmured, unaware of the masked figure watching from the shadows.

Hiccup tugged Astrid's arm again as they had another growling dragon approach from behind them.

"Well, this guy didn't seem to care much," Hiccup noted dryly but unable to keep a nervous warble from his voice. "Any more bright ideas?" Astrid patted his arm gently as she retracted the blade of Inferno and plucked a small vial of gas from her boot. "How's that gonna help?"

"Remember what I said on the boat," Astrid whispered, flicking a switch to release the gas and encircling herself and Hiccup before setting off a spark to ignite it. The two Vikings shielded themselves from the glare of the explosion and the heat but it seemed to do the trick – the testy dragon had calmed down and Astrid was able to head towards it, hand outstretched to let it know she was a friend.

"Oh, right..." Hiccup mumbled cynically, pinching out an ember on his cloak and trying not to sound overly impressed. "Once they think you're one of their own even the testiest dragons can be trained..."

A growling sound distracted both Vikings as the masked figure moved from the shadows. Hiccup instantly moved to shield Astrid who quickly noticed how the person was moving – their movements were slow and calculated but at the same time almost animalistic. Clearly this person was not used to human contact...mayhap they'd even _lived_ among dragons for a long time.

"Who are you?" Hiccup demanded, reaching for Silver Edge only to cuss under his breath when he remembered it was no longer there.

"The...the Dragon Thief?" Astrid asked. "Drago Bludvist?" Okay, the second one was a wild guess and the first seemed more likely but neither suggestion got a response.

"Do you even understand what we're saying?" Hiccup snapped. He was cut short as the person suddenly whirled their bull-staff around a few times – not sure whether to expect an attack or not, Hiccup turned around and shielded Astrid closely but a screech made her push him away and squint through the darkness. Moments later, a sopping wet black dragon was carried through the caves and dumped on the floor. It was Toothless.

"Toothless!" Astrid exclaimed in relief, rushing over. Hiccup jogged over as well and scratched the Night Fury behind the ears as the dragon and rider greeted each other. "It's okay, pal...we're both okay..."

Toothless cooed and licked both Astrid and Hiccup gently on the cheek – they were too relieved to see him to bother about the slobber not washing out of their clothes.

"We're glad to see you too, buddy," Hiccup smiled gently as Astrid threw her arms around the dragon's neck.

"You really had me worried there," Astrid murmured. A rattling noise filled the cave – Astrid glanced over and noticed that it had come from the masked warrior's staff. As if answering a demand, the dragons around them lit up fires in the back of their throats, illuminating the cavern in an orange light. The light settled on the trio and now that the masked warrior was in full sight again, they all shifted into defensive positions: Toothless curled his tail protectively around the two Vikings; Hiccup clenched his fists and moved to a slight defensive stance; and Astrid kept her hand close to Inferno's hilt.

The masked warrior lay down the staff and the shield that they were carrying and began approaching the trio, still moving in the slow, animalistic fashion Astrid had already taken notice of. Toothless snarled warningly but then something happened that Astrid wasn't expecting – the figure held out an outstretched hand in front of Toothless' face and slowly circled their hand...and Toothless instantly collapsed as if Astrid had scratched him under the chin.

"What...?!" Astrid squeaked in disbelief.

"That's new," Hiccup remarked, Astrid making a small nod and a quiet 'uh-huh' escaping her throat next to him. The masked warrior, now satisfied that the Night Fury was pacified, turned their attention to the two Vikings – again, Hiccup moved to shield Astrid but she moved to the side so that she could get a better look at the person who'd kidnapped them without having to crane her neck over Hiccup's irritating height of six-foot-one. Her movement brought the masked figure's attention directly to her and they slowly raised their hand towards her face.

"Get away from..." Hiccup began to hiss but Astrid hushed him quickly as she was backed against the nose horn of a dragon behind her. She had nowhere left to back away to and could only crane her head back so far. The masked warrior's hand slowly traced her face until it brushed her bangs aside to reveal her headband.

"What...?" a voice sounded from under the mask. Astrid frowned – the voice was surprisingly female. The figure backed away in shock for a moment before turning to Hiccup – more quickly this time, they approached and lifted their hand again. Hiccup backed away a few steps but the warrior...the woman...persisted, eventually trapping him against Toothless' flank and being able to trace her fingers along his chin...fingertips drifting over the pale scar there that shimmered ever so slightly in the firelight.

"Hiccup?" the voice sounded again. "Astrid?"

Astrid's mouth was agape as she glanced at Hiccup – first off, how did this person know their names? Second, whilst feminine, that voice was low and slightly raspy as if from lack of use but Astrid couldn't help but feel that she'd heard it somewhere before. The only remaining question was where? Hiccup's eyes also narrowed in confusion as the figure removed their mask to reveal the face of a woman with an oval shaped face that almost resembled a tear-drop. Her eyes glinted aquamarine-blue in the light of the fires from the dragons and her hair, streaked ever so slightly with grey, shimmered with a dark auburn colour.

"Could...could it be?" the woman remarked, her eyes wide in amazement as she stood up – she was a little taller than both Vikings, maybe six-foot-three at a guess. Astrid was struggling to put her finger on where she might know this woman from. "After all these years?" the woman added. "How's this possible?"

"Should we know you?" Hiccup asked with a slight growl, his forest-green eyes narrowing in warning. The woman bit her lip and turned away slightly.

"Well...no," she sighed. "At least, not very well, I wouldn't imagine..." she trailed off.

"But...you know us from somewhere, don't you?" Astrid pointed out, getting a better look at the woman's face. Suddenly, something clicked. That face shape...the hair colour...they were almost exactly like... "Wait a second..." she muttered, taking another glance at Hiccup whose eyes were getting so narrow Astrid was amazed the guy could still see anything. The woman glanced back up at them, her eyes landing directly on Hiccup.

"You two were only five..." she murmured sadly before looking down, barely able to keep eye contact. "But a mother never forgets."

Astrid gasped and staggered backwards as she realised who was standing in front of her and Hiccup let out a small cry of shock as he nearly collapsed. A memory suddenly flashed through her head...a memory she hadn't thought about in years...

/\

_"__EEK!" Hiccup squealed as he ran from the front door of his house, beaming in glee as his mother chased after him. "MOM! STOP!" he shrieked as the slender woman tackled her son to the ground and began pinching his sides, making him screeched with a joyous laughter rarely heard from the five-year-old son of Stoick the Vast._

_"__Oh, no! He's down!" his mother laughed as she trapped her son in a tight and loving embrace, still tickling him. "Ooh! And it's ugly!"_

_"__Mom! Stop it!" Hiccup was laughing so hard that his sides were splitting. He might be a scrawny kid trying to live up to his father's legacy, but when it came to spending time with his mother he was as playful a child as they came. It was a rare day on Berk where the sun was gracing the island and dragons hadn't attacked for about two weeks – life was good for the young Haddock boy and his family..._

_Well, except one._

_"__Hee-hee..." a timid giggle sounded from nearby. Hiccup and his mother stopped in their game to investigate the source of the noise and Hiccup's joyous smile vanished the instant he found it. The laugh had come from a girl a tiny bit taller than him but no less skinny with bright blonde hair kept in two pigtails under an oversized helmet. It was Astrid Hofferson who'd been taken into the Haddock household after her betrothal to Hiccup and her parents were killed in the previous dragon raid. Hiccup was known to harbour a dislike for the girl and her family after Fearless Finn, her uncle, had supposedly frozen in terror in front of a Flightmare, ruining the Hoffersons' reputation, name and honour as a family._

_"__Mom, I'm gonna go," Hiccup huffed, jumping to his feet and brushing down his light green tunic._

_"__Oh, Hiccup, come on," his mother sighed, still sitting on the floor._

_"__No, I need to get some training done," Hiccup insisted. "See you later, Mom."_

_"__Hiccup!" the woman called as Hiccup ran off. Astrid watched the scene unfold and her small smile disappeared. She knew why Hiccup's attitude had changed so suddenly. Her mood changed drastically from slightly happy for the boy she had a major crush on to feeling almost rejected. Sat perched on a small ledge near the Haddock house, Astrid tucked her legs under her arms and rested her chin on her knees. Before she even noticed, the mother of the Haddock household had sat herself next to her._

_"__You alright, Astrid?" the woman asked._

_"__I'm fine," Astrid pouted, not making eye contact. Of everyone in her foster family, this lady was the only one she spoke to on a regular basis. Stoick rarely spoke to anyone for an extended period of time and Hiccup just refused to talk to her._

_"__Now we both know that's not true," her companion urged gently. "Come on – you can tell me. You know that." Astrid huffed – there was no getting anything about this woman. She was so compassionate, anyone could talk to her about anything._

_"__Lady Valka, why did my parents ever think this was a good idea?" she huffed. Valka, as the kind woman was called, placed a gentle arm around the girl's shoulder. Astrid may not have been her daughter by blood but she was as close as – Valka had helped Helga give birth to the girl just as Helga had helped Valka give birth to Hiccup five years ago...the two were barely a week apart._

_"__Astrid, they only wanted the best for you," she soothed but it did little to help._

_"__How is 'the best for me' being married to a guy _who hates me_ just because of that stupid Flightmare freezing my uncle?" Astrid snapped, her tiny voice bitter with resentfulness to the life her family had landed her in._

_"__Now, now – come on," Valka smiled. "I know you don't believe he was scared of that thing..."_

_"__Doesn't matter what I think," Astrid interrupted in the frustrated way that only a child could pull off. "No one believes me," she added with a small gulp. Valka's smile disappeared and was replaced by a concerned frown. This softened to a small smile as she hugged the girl close – Astrid didn't move from her curled up position as her oversized helmet, a relic left from her family, flopped over her eyes._

_"__Actually, Astrid..." Valka started, rocking Astrid gently. "I think you're right." Astrid blinked a few times and sat upright, uncurling her legs and straightening the metal bowl on her head._

_"__Huh?" she frowned, her blue eyes as wide as coins. Valka's warm smile widened._

_"__I knew Finn like I knew the rest of your family," she explained. "He was a good friend of mine and I know it would take more than a Flightmare to make him freeze in terror," she added, tapping Astrid's nose lightly to cheer her up._

_"__You don't think he was scared?" Astrid asked, her voice gaining some strength._

_"__Your family's called 'fearless' for a reason, dear," Valka pointed out. Astrid's hopeful look was quickly replaced by a resentful pout._

_"__Makes no difference when Hiccup won't even look at me without that stupid scowl on his face," she muttered. Valka sighed – no five-year-old deserved to go through what Astrid had in the past year of her life. First Finn freezes in front of a Flightmare, supposedly in terror, and shames in family name; then as an attempt to protect her from being associated with the Hofferson family when she was older Astrid's parents had come to an agreement with Stoick to betroth her to his only son and heir; then her parents are killed in the next dragon raid after said betrothal; and now Astrid was living under the care of a family where the only person her age appeared to resent her._

_"__Well, you know the boy," Valka huffed jokingly, looking in the direction her son had run off in. In truth, Valka was sad that Hiccup didn't act his age more often. True, he was a Viking. True, he was Stoick's son. But he was also a five year old boy. "Stubborn and boar-headed...just like his father." She paused and sighed before continuing. "Astrid, don't you ever worry about what others think, okay?"_

_"__But..." Astrid began but Valka wrapped an arm around her shoulder again, pulling her close gently as any mother would do to comfort a child._

_"__I know you'll make your parents...your entire family...proud, Astrid," she reassured. "You've got the makings of a fine Viking, I can tell."_

_"__But look at me, Lady Valka! Astrid protested, pushing the woman away and her face scrunching up in a lack of self-belief as she gestured to her skinny frame. "I can't even swing an axe without falling over my own feet!"_ _Valka's smile was replaced with a warm expression – there was no smile but it was a warm, comforting motherly look all the same._

_"__I am looking, Astrid...and how many times do I need to ask you to drop the 'Lady' part, hmm?" she chuckled lightly. Astrid cringed slightly._

_"__Okay..." the little girl mumbled before Valka lifted her chin so that the girl's storm-blue gaze came into contact with her pale aquamarine one._

_"__Astrid, just because you're not the bulkiest of Vikings it doesn't mean that you're not strong," she pointed out. "Look at Hiccup," she smiled, indicating her head in Hiccup's general direction where he'd run off before gesturing to herself. Valka was one of the most slender Viking women on Berk and she knew it. "Look at me!" she added, her beam widening. Astrid was cheered enough to let out a small laugh and the tiniest of smiles appeared on her round face._

_"__I guess," she giggled. Valka gently lifted the girl's chin again and took off the oversized helmet – the thing looked terrible on the little girl, swamping her unnecessarily._

_"__You know what I see what I look at you, young lady?" the woman remarked kindly. "I see...two eyes, the same colour as the powerful sea and sky," she noted. Astrid's smile widened and her stormy-blue eyes sparkled and not just from the sunlight. "And hair bright enough to make the sun jealous," Valka continued, lifting up Astrid's two pigtails. "Don't cover _that_ up with that rusty old helmet now," she added, digging around in her pocket. "Here – I made this for you," she smiled. Astrid's eyes widened so that they almost filled her face._

_"__What?" she gasped. "You...made something for me?" she spluttered._

_"__Like I said, can't have you covering that head of yours with an oversized bowl decorated with yak horns," Valka chuckled, taking a small leather strap out of her pocket that was decorated with metal studs. "I thought this would suit you a bit better," she added kindly. Astrid's eyes were half the size of her head by now as she took the band from Valka and examined it. Valka could only watch in the way a mother watches a child receive the best present of their life as a single tear rolled down Astrid's cheek._

_"__No one's done something like this for me since...it happened..." Astrid sniffed. Valka hugged the girl gently and offered to help her put the headband on. Astrid happily accepted and allowed the woman to carefully place the leather strap over her head before arranging her hair so that one side of her fringe flopped over the top whilst she still had two stray strands of hair in front of her ears. "Thanks...Valka," Astrid smiled. Valka hugged the girl close in reply before speaking again._

_"__You know what else I see when I look at you?" she murmured. "I can see that you've got heart. That's your strength, young lady. Don't ever forget that..." she paused and thought for a while. "It's Hiccup's too. He just...needs to learn to see that," she finished wistfully. Astrid broke out of the embrace to look up at the woman, this time with a determined beam stretched across her face._

_"__I'll make him see it!"_

/\

Astrid had to lean on Toothless as she realised that woman was someone neither she nor Hiccup had seen since they were five years old. The woman was someone who they had been told was gone forever. The woman...

...was Lady Valka Haddock, the wife of Stoick the Vast and Hiccup's long lost mother.

"Come!" Valka grinned before running off into the caves.

* * *

**Day early update because I wanted to celebrate the fact that I HAVE FINISHED WRITING THIS STORY! That is, all ahead-of-schedule writing has been completed so this story will be guaranteed a regular upload schedule. Holy Thor...those last chapters...you'll see when I get round to posting them. Oh, and I'm changing the schedule slightly so that this story is now going be updated twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays.**

**This chapter has gone through so many revisions it's unbelievable! I've included some more details in the new ****_Trivia_**** section I've added to my profile so, go check that out if you want some behind-the-scenes-development info on my stories, including this one. In the end, I wanted to include some Hiccup-Valka interaction given as the original focused a lot on their relationship anyway. The way it was portrayed in the movie I don't think would have made a great deal of sense with Astrid so I decided to let Hiccup tag along. Gives him more 'screen time' anyway.**

**Anyway, there will be an update as per usual tomorrow so see you guys then. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review or send me a PM if you have any questions regarding my writing. See you guys later!**


	10. The Dragon Sanctuary

**The Dragon Sanctuary**

The cold night air sent a biting wind over the ice and whipped up a sharp blizzard in the skies. Barely visible against the indigo sky were the silhouettes of two dragons – a Rhumblehorn and a Hotburple – along with their riders.

"Grr...stubborn _and_ boar-headed," Stoick huffed, his beard freezing over in the icy wind. He was referring to Astrid, as per usual. "Just like her parents and Val! She takes more after her than she realises." Honestly, now Stoick thought about it, despite the fact that she wasn't related to his wife by blood, Astrid was startling similar to Valka. "None of 'em could ever stay put, either."

"Eh! She's just twenty," Gobber pointed out from Grump's back. "And a _Viking_!" he added. "I mean, could there possibly be a worse combination?" he chuckled dryly. "Same with Hiccup. I mean, when I think about how senseless and reckless you, Val and the lass' parents were at that age..." he trailed off. "Eh...thinking about it, not much has changed actually," he muttered in a side note. Stoick sighed and refrained from brushing the snow building up in his moustache.

"You know what Astrid's like, Gobber – she won't give up," he pointed out sadly. "If she and Hiccup find Drago before we find them..."

"Bah! Nothing can hurt those two as long as that Night Fury of Astrid's is with 'em!" Gobber protested cheerily. "It's a Night Fury!"

Gobber was about to say something else when he realised that his friend wasn't listening. Stoick had spotted something on the ocean below, specifically a hole in the ice which had something glinting beside it. He turned Skullcrusher around and led him down to the ice – his breathing stiffened as he spotted something floating in the icy waters.

"Gobber – you grab whatever it is that's on the side of that hole," he ordered, leaning over as much as he dared as he snatched the floating object from the water. A scraping of metal against ice told him that Gobber had somehow managed to snatch up the glinting object that had been lying on the frozen surface. Before Stoick had a chance to examine the object he'd picked up, he already heard a worried intake of breath from his friend.

"Uh...Stoick..." Gobber muttered nervously. Stoick turned around and his eyes widened in horror as he recognised the blade in Gobber's remaining hand – it was Silver Edge...Hiccup's blade. His breathing quickened as he examined the object in his hands – it was a helmet fashioned into a mask made of dark blue and red-brown leather. It was decorated with small spikes and folded back over itself...it was Astrid's.

Stoick cast a look of dread at Gobber who returned it. If these items were floating around in the middle of nowhere, Astrid and Hiccup could be in serious danger...possibly hurt. The hole in the ice suggested that a large object had fallen through...possibly even Toothless. The situation grew increasingly dire so Stoick clasped the helmet in his hands and leaned over so that he held it by Skullcrusher's nose – if there was one thing that Rhumblehorns were famous for, it was their sense of smell and their incredible tracking skills.

"Find her, Skullcrusher!" Stoick instructed. Astrid and Hiccup were nigh inseparable these days – find one and you were likely to find the other. "Find her." Sniffing the helmet a couple of times, Skullcrusher let out a determined roar before changing his course, heading towards the north-eastern icebergs in the distance.

/\

"Whoa...ho...hold on!" Hiccup yelled in frustration as Valka leapt through the rocky tunnels. "Wait just a minute, lady! Come back here!"

"This way!" Valka grinned, leaping through the rocky passages like a Nadder jumping from perch to perch. Astrid struggled to keep up with Hiccup who was almost sprinting ahead. Gods, the number of times she had to remind him about the leg...

"You _cannot_ just say something like that and then run off!" she yelled, trying her best to keep pace but always falling a few steps behind the amazingly-quick-for-fifty woman ahead of her who was also just out of Hiccup's reach, jumping away almost as soon as he neared her.

"_You're_ my mother?!" Hiccup spluttered, scrambling up the rocks after her.

"_My_ foster mother...my...future mother-in-law?!" Astrid panted, jogging after the woman with Toothless right behind her. "I mean...what the...? Do you grasp how insane it sounds?!" she spluttered.

"Come, quickly!" Valka called, leaping up a steep incline. Hiccup shot up with relative ease whilst Astrid _tried _(major emphasis on 'tried') to climb up after her but couldn't quite get a grip and kept slipping back down the incline.

"Get back here! I've got questions!" Hiccup shouted.

"Hey! Bit of help, _sweetheart_?!" Astrid snapped irritably, scrambling to grab a hold. Hiccup turned back and grabbed her hand to help her up whilst shouting over his shoulder to Valka.

"Where have you been all this time?" he grunted as Toothless pushed Astrid up and over the tiny ledge at the top, sending her tumbling onto Hiccup. "OOFF!" The pair both scrambled quickly to their feet and continued the chase.

"What have you been doing?!" Astrid added, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. "They...they told us you were dead!" she yelled.

"Everyone thinks you were eaten by..." Hiccup trailed off as they entered a brightly lit cavern. The light was filtered through gigantic walls of ice and rocks columns were covered in moss and...

Astrid could only exhale in amazement. Never before had she seen so many dragons in one place. The Nest at Helheim's Gate had been one thing but this...this was another level entirely. There were dragons of all shapes and sizes, even babies from what Astrid could see (upon seeing the baby Gronkles, she chuckled at the memory of the first Snoggletog the dragons had spent with the Vikings back on Berk – Hiccup, on the other hand, flushed furiously. That was one memory he wanted to keep suppressed).

The place itself was awe-inspiring to say the least. Walls of ice seemed to act like a greenhouse, creating a warm and humid mini-climate away from the frozen wastelands outside. Ferns and mosses grew over the rocks and slowly melting ice trickled into waterfalls which fed springs and lakes. The sheer size alone made it a paradise nest for dragons and Astrid was stunned silent by the beauty of it.

Toothless suddenly growled next to Astrid and she and Hiccup looked up to a nearby rock face where the dragon Valka had been riding earlier was hanging like a bat. Valka was peeking out of his wings with a small smile on her face. The two Vikings could only stare at her with a whole range of emotions rushing through them. Astrid was amazed that Valka was still alive and stunned by the revelation that she'd been living among dragons for the past decade and a half but also, and she was ashamed to admit it, angry that the woman had never once gotten word back to Berk that she was alive, nor had she ever returned. Hiccup secretly shared the same emotions but also felt confused – he'd been so close to his mother when he was a child so he felt that he should be overjoyed but at the same time he felt betrayed that the only person he'd acted his age around when he was small had given him no indication that she wasn't dead.

"_This_ is where you've been for fifteen years?" Astrid realised. Valka nodded ever so slightly from her perch. Astrid glanced at the scene around her – behind the Vikings, Toothless was awkwardly trying to avoid some of the other dragons who were trying to acquaint themselves with him. "You've been rescuing them?" Astrid added curiously. Valka nodded again, this time her smile widening. Hiccup bit his lip as his eyes narrowed.

"Unbelievable..." he breathed, although it was more in awe than frustration. This time Valka spoke up.

"You...you're not upset?" she asked with a slight wince. Hiccup grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck

"Well, I don't know...it's kinda hard to wrap my head around if I'm being perfectly frank," he admitted bluntly.

"Yeah, same," Astrid agreed. "I mean, it's not every day that you find out the mother figure of your life is some kind of crazy...feral...vigilante...dragon lady," she huffed, once again making multiple hand gestures to accentuate her point and making Hiccup chuckle because of it. At that Valka laughed slightly and let her dragon lower her onto the floor, hanging off one of his claws using her staff.

"Well, at least I'm not boring," she smiled. "Right?" Astrid couldn't stop a smirk crossing her face and she shrugged. True enough. Having a Crazy Dragon Lady as a future mother-in-law was hardly dull.

"Well...I guess there is that...one specific thing," she smirked, petting a dragon as it came to nudge her shoulder. Hiccup, on the other hand, seemed far less happy.

"I guess," he mumbled, barely scratching the dragon's chin. Valka walked over slowly, still bent as she'd been before but far less threateningly this time. Her face had broken into a wide smile that made her face shine with excitement – the two Vikings she'd called her children, even if one was technically adopted, were here in her dragon sanctuary.

"Do...do you like it?" she asked almost timidly but with her eyes flashing with excitement.

"I don't have the words," Astrid replied in amazement – even Hiccup couldn't help but smile in wonder at the dragon utopia around him. Valka's gaze flickered between the two Vikings for a moment.

"I see you two appear to be getting along now," she noted. Astrid let out a breath of awkward laughter.

"I know – miracles do happen," she remarked. Hiccup smirked at her and nudged her playfully in the ribs.

"How...what happened?" Valka asked with a small smile as she straightened up – yep, two inches taller than her son. That made Astrid feel slightly better for her situation of now being shorter than Hiccup (damn those growth spurts of his – at least he wasn't taller than his mother). An irritated growl snapped the conversation short but Hiccup smirked and indicated with his head a very irritated Night Fury behind them – Toothless was growling at some dragons who evidently had no concept whatsoever of personal space.

"Long story short – _he_ happened," he replied dryly. Valka chuckled at the sight of the dragon and glanced at Astrid with a curious look on her face.

"May I?" she requested. Astrid stepped aside and nodded as the woman knelt down by the dragon. Toothless cooed and began purring as Valka examined him. "Oh, he's beautiful!" Valka smiled in adoration, stroking the black scales of the dragon. He circled her affectionately and rolled onto his back as Astrid giggled nearby. Hiccup always watched but with little more than a sad smile on his face – he wasn't quite ready to feel overly happy that he'd found his long-thought-to-be-dead mother.

"Incredible!" Valka exclaimed as Toothless nuzzled her upside-down. "You know, I think he might very well be the last of his kind." Astrid felt a pang of pain in her heart – okay, she knew that Toothless was a unique dragon but she didn't want him to be lonely. Valka's eyes widened as she counted the flaps along his chin. "And look! He's your age – he's twenty!" she pointed out excitedly.

"Really?" Astrid grinned, astounded by how affectionate her dragon was towards the woman. Like herself, Valka seemed to have a way with the beasts.

"No wonder you two get along so well with him," Valka remarked as Toothless righted himself and began making glugging noises whilst nodding his head up and down. Valka mimicked him until he retracted his teeth into his gums, making her almost squeal in amazement. "Retractable teeth?" she gasped, examining the gums before glancing back at the two Vikings behind her. "How in Odin's name did you two manage..."

"Well, it had nothing to do with me," Hiccup quickly admitted, a bit sharper than he meant. "It was all Astrid, really."

"Yeah, I...uh...I found him in the woods," Astrid explained with a grimace. "He was...shot down and wounded." Valka paused in her movements before standing to face the Vikings. She gazed at them with a sympathetic wince before heading to show them some of the dragons she'd rescued, many sporting their own injuries. She turned first to one that looked a lot like one of the ones who'd snatched Astrid and Hiccup off Toothless earlier – Astrid winced when she saw one of its legs had been reduced to a stump.

"This Snafflefang lost one of his legs to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps," Valka explained, her voice spiked with hate. She moved to another dragon, this one similar to her own but with only one set of wings instead of two. "This Raincutter had her wing sliced by razor netting." Finally she walked over to a dragon that had no wings and was perhaps a little smaller than Stormfly. Hiccup inhaled sharply when he saw that its eyes were milky white. "And this poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare then left to die alone and scared," Valka continued, her voice soothing and gentle as she carefully petted the blinded Hobblegrunt without scaring him. Her soft gaze hardened again when she spotted the red prosthetic fin on Toothless' tail. "And what of this?" she hissed spitefully. "Did Drago or his trappers do this, too?" she asked.

The two Vikings let out a nervous laugh.

"Uh...I'm...gonna let mi'lady explain this one," Hiccup said awkwardly, moving Astrid so that she was standing right next to Toothless.

"What? Why?" Valka frowned. Astrid let out a nervous giggle.

"Heh...well, you see, the crazy thing is..." she trailed off, hoping that the woman wouldn't suddenly hate her. "_I'm_ actually the one who shot him down," she explained with a grimace. Valka's eyes widened in confused shock so Astrid continued before she had a chance to have a go at her. "Hey! It's okay, though – he got me back," she smiled playfully, turning to Toothless and rubbing his cheeks and making him gurgle happily. "Right, pal?" she chuckled. "You couldn't save _all_ of me, could you? You just _had_ to make it even! So..." she paused and leant on Toothless' shoulder for support before sticking out her prosthetic limb. "Peg-leg!" she finished in a sing song voice – Hiccup chuckled lightly as Toothless launched Astrid onto his shoulders but Valka suddenly let out a sharp gasp. Okay, she hadn't exactly been paying much attention to the Vikings' appearances themselves so to realise that _her foster daughter_ was missing a limb...

"What happened?" she asked sharply. Astrid paused in her playing with Toothless and stared blankly at her foster-mother for a moment. Toothless' eyes widened and Hiccup gulped...whoops... "What. Happened?" Valka demanded when no answer came, her aquamarine eyes narrowing in insistence. Astrid glanced at Hiccup.

"Uh...she's got a point," she grimaced. "What _did _happen to my leg?" she asked. Valka coughed, as if irritated that the young woman was skipping the question so Astrid adjusted herself on the saddle and leant on Toothless' head and shrugged. "Hey, last thing I remember was flying out of control towards the tail of a giant tyrannical dragon we'd just been fighting then blackout," she explained. Valka's eyes didn't change from their pressing narrowed state as she shot a glance at her son.

"Look, even _I_ don't know exactly what happened, okay?" Hiccup protested. "Astrid, your leg was messed up _really_ bad after fighting that thing – there was no other option." He clammed up after that – Hiccup couldn't remember being as fearful for Astrid's life as he had been in those weeks she'd spent in a coma after the battle with the Red Death. To be frank, he didn't want to remember it either.

"What was this 'tyrannical dragon'?" Valka asked.

"Head...Hiccup called it a Queen...of the Helheim's Gate Nest," Astrid explained quickly. "Ate any dragon that didn't bring enough food." Valka's hard expression softened ever so slightly as she petted Toothless on the nose. She decided to change the subject.

"So, what did Stoick think of your Night Fury friend, then?" she inquired, her voice stinging with bitterness and a touch of regret. Hiccup winced and scratched Toothless behind the ear more out of self-comfort than anything else. Astrid did the same.

"Let's just say neither of them left the best first impressions on each other," Hiccup grimaced. Toothless grunted at him. "What?" Astrid stepped in before things got too awkward.

"But then...he changed," she smiled. "Everyone did. Pretty soon, everyone back home had dragons of their own!" she explained. Valka scoffed in disbelief.

"If only it were possible," she sighed. Hiccup bristled slightly.

"No, really!" Astrid protested. "I..."

"Believe me, kids – I tried as well but people aren't capable of change," Valka interrupted. Astrid and Hiccup were stunned silent for a moment. Valka...had tried to bring peace between dragons and Vikings? Now that they thought about it, the woman never carried a weapon during the dragon raids and didn't lecture them about dragons being dangerous creatures the way Stoick did. In fact, she'd made Hiccup a toy dragon when he was small (granted he'd been terrified of it for a time and had thrown it into the ocean after Valka had vanished).

"Aren't capable of...?" Hiccup repeated incredulously. "Mom, I don't know what you're thinking here but things have...!"

"Some people were just born different," Valka interrupted again.

* * *

**WHY IS THIS SEGMENT SO LONG?! THIS IS ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH!**

**Anyway, double update today because ****_RACE TO THE EDGE _****IS NOW OUT! By the way, I haven't watched all of the episodes yet so refrain from spoilers.**

**Side note...why are the Haddocks such a stubborn family? Also, why _didn't_ Valka question her son's missing leg in the movie?! Granted, Hiccup's a Viking and losing a limb is an occupational hazard but I for one would be pretty horrified if I found out that someone in my family have suffered such a massive injury.**


	11. The Good Bewilderbeast

**Losing Mother/The Good Bewilderbeast**

_Valka sprinted through the village, once again trying her hardest to get those stubborn villagers to hear her out and leave the dragons alone. She'd tried talking to Stoick, asking once again to tackle the problem peacefully but to no avail. She knew that by now, at the age of thirty-five, she should have learned her lesson by now – Berk was a place of kill or be killed after all. Yet even now, after what many would call youthful naivety had worn away, she still believed that peace was somehow possible._

_A roar nearby signalled the downing of a dragon – a blazing red Monstrous Nightmare. Seeing a Viking run over with an axe raised over his head, Valka's protective instincts kicked in as she stopped his arm before it brought the axe down on the dragon's neck – for a lithe Viking, Valka was stronger than she looked._

_"__Stop!" she pleaded. "You'll only make it worse!"_

_The Nightmare scrambled to its feet and flew off, leaving the villager glaring at Valka before running off. Valka sighed – she knew many didn't think she was a suitable wife for Chief Stoick the Vast. She knew that her opinions were unpopular to say the least. But all she wanted was to find peace...she didn't want her son...her darling Hiccup...and her foster-daughter, Astrid, having to grow up in a world where they either had to fight for survival or face becoming dragon fodder, as Stoick put it._

_"__EEK!" a shrill shriek sounded from a house at the highest point in the village...the Haddock residence. Valka spun around, her long auburn hair flashing red in the raging fires that consumed the village and froze at what she saw – a large dragon was clambering through the roof of her home...into the children's room._

_"__Hiccup! Astrid!" she cried, sprinting as fast as she possibly could to the house. Throwing the door open, she grabbed a sword from the wall and leapt up the stairs two at a time, ready to go against everything she believed in to protect her son and foster-daughter...her future daughter-in-law...only to pause at the sight that greeted her._

_The dragon took up one side of the room but made no move to attack – it hadn't even noticed Valka. Crouched against the wall at the far end of the room was Hiccup and Astrid – Hiccup was shielding Astrid with a fierce protective look Valka never expected her son to show when it came to Astrid...the boy despised her! Astrid was peeking over his shoulder, her height advantage allowing her a closer look at the dragon. Her hair was held back by the headband Valka had given her earlier that day but her bangs still fell in front on her eyes. The dragon cooed gently and tilted its head and for a moment, the children seemed to relax...even Hiccup although his forest-green eyes were still flashing in terror._

_Valka stiffened for a moment as the dragon raised a claw but it still made no move to harm the children – instead, it held it out in front of them. Childish curiosity took over both five-year-olds, Astrid first as she reached over Hiccup's shoulder to touch the claw. It was in the mind of every innocent child who had yet to fully develop the hatred of dragons many Berkians harboured – what was it like to touch a dragon? Hiccup followed after a moment's hesitation and Valka exhaled in amazement, lowering the sword she'd snatched up as she did so. This was proof of everything she'd ever believed in! The dragon wasn't going straight for the kill...it was curious...just as curious and harmless as the children in front of it._

_Valka moved further into the room but as she did so she stepped on a creaky floorboard and attracted the attention of the children...and the dragon. Startled, the dragon's claw clipped Hiccup's chin, leaving a small ribbon of red trickling down his face._

_"__AH!" Hiccup exclaimed, clasping his hand to his chin to stem the bleeding._

_"__Valka!" Astrid squeaked, remembering her fear as the dragon turned its attention to Valka._

_"__Stay put, kids," Valka said shortly, raising the sword in self-defence but she couldn't bring herself to attack the dragon. It approached her as gently as it had approached the children and Valka could see no sign of the cold-heartedness that dragons were supposedly infamous for. Two gentle pools of golden amber met her own green irises – this wasn't a vicious beast! It was a gentle, intelligent creature...and Valka realised that it had a soul that reflected her own._

_"__Mom!" Hiccup whimpered, trying to move forward but Astrid held him back, gripping his arm to keep him from running into trouble or even endangering his mother's life._

_"__Hiccup, stay there," Valka repeated, less forcefully this time as she dropped the sword she'd been carrying and instead raised a hand to touch the dragon's snout._

_The moment was cut short when the blade of an axe stuck into the wall just in front of Valka's face, narrowly missing the dragon. Startled, the dragon bellowed in anger and turned to the source of the attack – Valka gasped when she spotted her husband._

_"__Valka! Take the kids and run!" Stoick roared. Despite wanting to calm the situation down, Valka didn't hesitate to make a beeline for the children, ushering them towards the stairs. Hiccup darted past the dragon but as it lashed out against Stoick, its tail smacked against Astrid and pinned her to the floor as a resounding crack sounded. The girl screeched in pain and when the tail lifted, Valka saw that Astrid's left leg was sticking out at an awkward angle – it was broken. Motherly instincts taking over, Valka grabbed the girl from the floor and ran for the stairs as Stoick drew the dragon out of the room._

_She'd barely reached Hiccup by the front door as a sudden burst of flame seared through the house, hitting the door and sending Hiccup recoiling backwards in terror. Terrified, Valka knew that the dragon was going to try to kill Stoick – angered, it was every bit as dangerous as the village believed. She couldn't stand to see a dragon killed in front of her but at the same time she wasn't going to sit back and watch her husband become spit roast._

_"__No!" she cried, still cradling Astrid to her chest as she wrenched a free hand against the dragon's shoulder, bringing its attention back to her. For a moment, the dragon regarded both the woman and the Nordic Blonde in her arms and growled when Stoick shouted._

_"__This way!" he yelled, grabbing Hiccup and hoisting the boy onto his shoulders as he dashed out of a hole that had been blasted in the side of the house. Valka ducked as the dragon made a swooping move towards her and Astrid and jumped out of the hole herself..._

_...her feet never touched the ground._

_"__AH...OOF!" Astrid grunted painfully as she tumbled to the ground. Unable to stand, she glanced at the sky and shrieked. "VALKA!"_

_"__NO!" Valka's voice sounded. Hiccup's eyes widened, the gash in his chin all but forgotten and his gaze turned skyward and he saw what no child wanted to see – his mother being carried away into the burning skies in the grip of a dragon's claws. "STOICK!"_

_"__MOM!" Hiccup wailed, throwing himself off his father's shoulders and racing after the dragon. "MOM! COME BACK!"_

_"__HICCUP!" Valka screamed back desperately._

_"__VALKA!" Stoick bellowed but by now the dragon was out of reach of any weapon or net. He grabbed his son and cradled him close as the boy's eyes stung with tears of anger and grief as they watched Valka vanish into the night skies. "Valka..."_

_A short distance behind them, crumpled on the ground with a broken leg and gazing in horror at the sight that had unfolded before her, Astrid cried silent tears of guilt. Valka had protected her when she'd been left defenceless against a dragon...a girl who wasn't even her own flesh and blood... And now she'd paid the ultimate price._

_Stoick had lost a wife. Hiccup had lost a mother._

_Because of her._

/\

Astrid felt her heart wrench as the memory of the last night she and Hiccup had seen Valka until now flooded back as Valka recounted the night. She glanced quickly at Hiccup and she saw the pained expression etched into his face. Looking at Valka, Astrid noticed that her expression matched her son's almost perfectly.

"You all nearly died that night," Valka sighed. "And all because I couldn't kill a dragon." Astrid rubbed her arm and glanced at Hiccup briefly.

"I learnt that it's more of a 'wouldn't' than 'couldn't'," she shrugged with a small smile. "But...either way, it runs in the household," she joked lightly. Valka didn't crack a smile.

"It broke my heart to stay away," she admitted. "But..." she paused and huffed in self-frustration. "It sounds stupid but I honestly thought that you would be safer if I did," she explained. Hiccup bristled visibly so Astrid gripped his hand tightly so that he didn't break anything.

"How did you survive?" Hiccup asked after a slight pause, not meeting his mother's gaze. Valka began walking to the edge of the nearby cliff.

"Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm me," she excused light-heartedly, patting the four-winged dragon on the shoulder as he sauntered past.

"That his name, then?" Astrid asked with a small smile as she followed. She was fascinated by Valka – all these years living among dragons...there must be so much that the woman could teach her!

"Yep – he's a Stormcutter dragon," Valka explained. "Proud species, if a little big-headed," she added with a chuckle as Cloudjumper snorted indignantly at her.

"Sounds like Dad," Hiccup remarked to himself. Astrid caught it and covered a snort of laughter with a cough.

"Oh, definitely," Valka chuckled, albeit a little sadly. "Well, I guess Cloudjumper must've thought that I belonged here," she continued quietly as they came to the edge of the cliff. "In the home of the great Bewilderbeast!" she added proudly. Astrid froze in awe at the sight that greeted her. Resting in the lagoon below was a mountain of a dragon with a grey-white hide decorated with flecks of grey, blue and red. It had spines that flared backwards like a mane behind its head and at the side of its mouth were two tusks at least a hundred metres long each. Astrid hadn't seen a dragon as big since the Red Death but instead of feeling dread upon seeing the giant, all she could feel was overwhelming awe.

"Every nest has its Queen," Valka explained. Hiccup shot a glance at Astrid.

"Told you," he smirked. Astrid nudged him in the ribs. "So...this is...this Nest's Queen?" he quizzed his mother. Valka shook her head.

"Oh, no – the Bewilderbeast is the Alpha species," she corrected. "The king of all dragons. With his icy breath this graceful giant built our nest," she explained, gesturing at the walls of ice with her bull-staff. The trio, closely followed by Toothless and Cloudjumper, headed along the cliff side to get a closer look. "A safe haven for dragons everywhere." Astrid slipped slightly on her leg as they walked down a slope but she caught herself quickly enough when something clicked.

"Hold on a sec – _that's_ the ice-spitter?" she frowned. "_He's_ the one who's been causing all that destruction?" she exclaimed. Valka turned around sharply to face her future-daughter-in-law.

"He protects us," she protested gently. "We all live under his care and his command." The group walked past a group of small dragons – Astrid thought they looked like a cross between a Nadder and a Zippleback (with only one head). They were bouncing around all over the rocks and through the ferns, tackling Toothless as the Night Fury walked past. "All but the babies of course," Valka laughed warmly as Cloudjumper hissed at the small dragons who promptly made themselves scarce. They fluttered over to the Bewilderbeast and jumped up and down on his head for a while. "Who...listen to no one," Valka chuckled as the Bewilderbeast opened a pair of icy turquoise eyes before snorting. The baby dragons once again flew off.

"Playful little buggers," Hiccup remarked sarcastically.

"Scuttleclaws," Valka noted. "Raucous species even as adults," she explained. By now the Bewilderbeast had raised its magnificent head to greet Valka and her new companions. As it came up to their eye level, Valka bowed deeply – Astrid noticed that the other dragons around them had done the same, even Toothless. She and Hiccup stood staring in awe as the Bewilderbeast examined them.

"I've lived among them for fifteen years, kids," Valka murmured. "Learning their ways...discovering their secrets..."

The Bewilderbeast suddenly blew an icy mist in the Vikings' direction. Valka nimbly stepped out of the way, Astrid ducked and Hiccup only raised his arms. Once the mist cleared, Astrid glanced up and snorted with laughter – Hiccup's hair was standing on end, frozen in place and frosted over. Valka also let out another warm chuckle.

"He likes you," she remarked as Hiccup dusted the snow out of his hair.

"Aww, that was a good look on you," Astrid snickered with a mocking pout. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his fiancé as he smirked.

"Says the girl with her fringe standing on end," he pointed out. Astrid blushed furiously and quickly fixed her own hair as well as dusting some frost off her shoulder pads. Valka placed a gently hand on her shoulder.

"You two must be hungry," she smiled. Astrid's stomach gave confirmation of that.

"Yeah – I don't know about you, Hiccup, but I could eat," she admitted. Hiccup's stomach also growled – they hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday and that had been a small snack on their journey to find Eret and the Trappers.

"I'll concur with that," Hiccup grinned awkwardly. Valka patted Astrid's shoulder happily and began walking over to Cloudjumper.

"Good – it's feeding time," she grinned. "You fly solo, son?" she asked over her shoulder. Hiccup glanced around the cave.

"Got any Nadders in here?" he questioned.

* * *

**OH, SWEET FREYA! THIS SCENE WAS SO LONG! Seriously, if I hadn't split this, the chapter would have been over 5,000 words and I like to keep my chapters to around 2,000 words for this site. Admittedly, some of the chapters in this story are at least double that – you'll see what I mean very soon. **

**Double update for the day over. Anyway, from now on, I'm going to be updating this story twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays so until then, happy reading and writing, feel free to leaves reviews and I'll see you guys around.**

* * *

**Oh! Before I go, bonus bloopers!**

Astrid: (In her Stoick impression) _You're all grown up. My son' couldn't ask for a better wife. But I think you're ready for much more than that. That is why I've decided to..._

Hiccup: What? What did he say?

Me: I don't know, Hiccup! Maybe if you'd let her finish, she'll tell you!

Hiccup: YOU WROTE THIS THING!

* * *

(A Viking is about to kill a Monstrous Nightmare, screaming his head off. Valka runs over and blocks him)

Valka: STOP THAT RACKET! YOU'LL WAKE THE BABY!


	12. Flying with Mother

**Flying with Mother**

Meanwhile, as Stoick and Gobber searched for the wayward one-legged Nordic Blonde and Hiccup, the rest of the gang were resting on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean, having opted to wait for the others to return rather than return to Berk. They'd been waiting the entire night but there was still no sign of the Chief and the others. Stormfly was getting restless without her rider and the rest of the gang were also fidgety.

"I don't like it," Snotlout frowned. "The chief and Gobber should've been back with Hofferson and Haddock by now."

"I don't like it either," Ruffnut groaned, only her attentions were on something else entirely. "Eret, Son of Eret was the man of my dreams!" she added wistfully. Tuffnut barfed next to her. "My everything!"

"But, Baby – I grew facial hair for you!" Snotlout protested, distracted from his unease over the missing Vikings for a moment as he rubbed a hand against his chin where a slight stubble was forming. Fishlegs did the same next to Meatlug.

"Me too..." he sighed. Snotlout snapped himself out of it.

"Anyway...what if Drago shot 'em down? We've gotta go find 'em," he decided, swinging onto Hookfang's neck. Fishlegs spluttered.

"Hey! Stoick said..." he began to protest.

"Look, Guppy-Legs, it's not gonna matter what the chief said if they've all been _captured_, is it?" Snotlout pointed out arrogantly. "We'll track down Drago's camp, see if they're in there and if they are, we'll bust 'em out," he smirked. "Come on!" he instructed, giving a nod to Stormfly who followed closely behind him and Hookfang.

Snotlout decided that he could boast about being a hero to Ruffnut later. Right now, they needed a guide. And Snotlout knew just who to pick.

/\

"Do we go back?" Teeny grumbled miserably as the Drago Trappers slowly made their way through the frozen ocean. Eret glared at him, holding a block of ice to his forehead.

"We've nowhere to go!" he snapped. "And no heads to call our own unless we fill this boat with dragons and fast!" he added angrily when a pair of claws grabbed him from behind. "AHH!" he shrieked as his feet left the deck for the second time in twenty four hours. Snotlout peered over his shoulder as he smirked triumphantly – that'll teach the guy to try and steal his girl.

"I'd be more careful what you wish for!" he shouted over his shoulder, patting Hookfang's shoulder. The Monstrous Nightmare dropped Eret before Stormfly snatched him out of the air, all the while with the Dragon Trapper screaming in terror. A few nets soared past the group as the rest of Eret's crew tried to rescue him but they were already out of range.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Eret yelled. Snotlout flew over as the man dangled from Stormfly's claws.

"A kidnapping," he snickered. Ruffnut and Tuffnut flew over on Barf-Belch where Ruffnut began tugging eagerly at Eret's arms whilst Tuffnut stared at her incredulously.

"Yay! Can he ride with me? Can he? Can he?" she asked gleefully.

"Uh, Babe – no conversing with the hostage," Snotlout suggested. Ruffnut shot him a disgusted look which gave Tuffnut enough time to lead Barf-Belch away from the kidnapped Dragon Trapper. Snotlout shot another glare at Eret – not going to lie, he did _not_ like him. The fact that Ruffnut seemed infatuated with him was the main reason. "You are going to show us the way to Drago, got it, Trapper-Man?" he snapped.

"And help Dragon Riders sneak into Drago's camp?!" Eret exclaimed, shooting his own glare at Snotlout. "Just kill me now."

"Happy to arrange it," Snotlout smirked as he glanced directly at Stormfly. "Drop him, Stormfly!" he ordered. Stormfly treated it all as a game and instantly let her claws open, dropping Eret and letting him fall towards the icy ocean beneath. Again, the screams. "Hiccup's trained you well, girl!" Snotlout smiled. Stormfly squawked proudly and shook her head as she accepted the praise. "Alright, Stormfly – fetch." On cue, the bright blue Deadly Nadder dived towards the ocean after Eret.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO...AH!" Eret yelped as he was snatched out of the sky again. Snotlout laughed to himself a few times from Hookfang's back before cracking his knuckles.

"And that's for trying to steal my girl."

/\

Meanwhile, the sunshine had broken over the ice again, reflecting off the white surface like millions upon millions of diamonds glittering in the light. Astrid and Hiccup (now flying on a borrowed Deadly Nadder, a dark purple and gold one) followed Valka and Cloudjumper through walls of towering ice, half following her to wherever they were going for breakfast and half racing her through the skies above the ocean. Astrid observed how the woman flew her Stormcutter – Valka didn't sit atop her dragon but rather balanced on Cloudjumper's back, shifting her weight and stance to match his flight.

The Vikings watched in amazement as Cloudjumper rolled around an iceberg and Valka, instead of gripping to his neck to stay on his back, ran around his body, staying on top of the roll the entire time. Astrid was amazed with the woman's skill but then again she wasn't surprised – Valka had, after all, had fifteen years of practise as opposed to the Berk Riders' five.

"Not bad, Valka!" Astrid called from Toothless' back. Valka glanced over her shoulder and laughed in thanks. Astrid shot a glance at Hiccup who smirked back. Without hesitation, he swung his legs up and pushed himself upwards so that he was on his feet – Astrid noticed how similar he looked to his mother. Hiccup spotted a wall of ice and led the Nadder toward it – upon noticing a potential collision, the dragon squawked and dove towards a crevice but Hiccup instead leapt upwards so that he was on top of the iceberg before sliding down the other side. There was a small ramp at the bottom of the slope of ice and Valka's mouth dropped open.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed worriedly but Hiccup was already in the air. Smirking smugly, he let out a howl – Astrid grinned as she recognised the call of a Deadly Nadder, one of many calls the team had perfected over their years of training dragons. Within moments, the purple Nadder had snatched Hiccup out of his free-fall and Valka was admittedly impressed whilst Hiccup looked rather pleased with himself. "Show off," Valka teased.

"Look who's talking," Hiccup snickered jokingly in replied. Astrid smiled – beneath the unwillingness to forgive his mother too quickly for her fifteen-year absence, Hiccup still had it in him to joke and play around with the woman, just like he'd done as a child. The trio made their way out of the maze of icebergs and out onto the open ocean and it was at that point that Astrid noticed that they weren't alone in the skies – pretty much the entirety of the Ice Cave dragons were following them. Uh...what happened to breakfast?

"Hey, uh, Valka!" Astrid shouted. "I thought we were going to eat!" Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and frowned in equal confusion. Valka turned Cloudjumper around and the dragon tread air as the woman faced the two Vikings.

"Oh, we are!" she smiled playfully, holding her hand out. Astrid brought Toothless to a halt and Hiccup stopped his borrowed Nadder in mid-flight as they waited for something to happen. Astrid glanced around her and saw no sign of hunting grounds of any kind. Valka's smile never left her face as she nodded towards the ocean. Curious, Astrid leaned over Toothless' shoulder and narrowed her eyes as she spotted the waters churning beneath her, a group of dragons (Thunderdrums and a species she later discovered were called Ocean Shockers) circling a ring of bubbles.

Astrid barely had time to think about what could be going on when the Bewilderbeast burst from the waves, tusks first and rising almost its entire length out of the water. He seemed to hang suspended for a moment before he closes his mouth...and sprayed what looked like an entire shoal of fish into the air which the dragons around them began happily diving towards, grabbing mouthfuls for fish from the air.

"WHOA!" Hiccup yelped as his borrowed dragon shot after its meal, forgetting it had a human on its back. Astrid coughed up a snort of laughter but Valka was chuckling so hard she was clutching her sides, both at the sight of her son as he clung to the Nadder for dear life and at her future daughter-in-law's face. Toothless was panting happily, eager to start feeding so Astrid smiled at him and gestured with her hand for him to help himself...

...and had to cling to the saddle for all she was worth as Toothless nose-dived out of the skies before pulling himself upwards again, this time with his mouth overflowing with fish. Astrid laughed at the sight – she'd never seen Toothless this happy over feeding.

/\

After the dragons and the humans had eaten their fill (Astrid and Hiccup had set up a small fire to cook their fish although Valka didn't seem to have much of a problem with the raw stuff), the two Vikings settled on a snowy bank to catch up with Valka. She told them how after Cloudjumper had brought her to the Ice Cave, she'd began dedicating her life to protecting dragons the way she hadn't been able to on Berk. It wasn't long before the fifty-year-old woman was asking the Vikings about their lives.

"So...you two," she shrugged. "You never elaborated – what happened?"

"Toothless happened," Hiccup repeated, finishing off his cod and tossing the remains to the Nadder.

"I know, I know – 'long story short'," Valka sighed. "I've got time – what's the full version?" she quizzed, her eyes shifting to Astrid who was leaning against Toothless' side as he wrapped his tail around her. She bit her lip and gulped – this could be awkward but might also be the chance she had to convince Valka that things had indeed changed on Berk.

"Uh...Toothless and I picked Hiccup out of the top of a tree," she replied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Took me for a flight – she showed me what dragons were _really_ like," Hiccup added, putting emphasis on 'really' in hopes that his mother could see that he had changed his attitude towards dragons. Valka caught it.

"What do you mean, Son?" she frowned. Hiccup huffed and tucked his legs under his arms, half-scowling at the woman.

"I was just like any other Viking on Berk, Mom," he explained. "Astrid was the one who found Toothless – _she_ was the one who learned firsthand about what dragons were like. Not me," he continued bitterly. Valka opened her mouth in protest but Astrid cut across.

"I learnt so much from Toothless – it got to the point where I was beating Hiccup in Dragon Training," she explained nervously. "Needless to say, he got suspicious...I ended up winning...planned to leave," she admitted quietly.

"You were planning to...?" Valka murmured.

"I couldn't stay and kill a dragon!" Astrid pointed out. "Not after what I'd learnt about them." Astrid found herself thinking about what might have happened if Hiccup hadn't found her in the Cove that evening...if she _had_ left Berk, never to return. Would she have become like Valka? A crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady? Astrid shivered slightly at the thought - she wasn't sure if that was the life she ever would have wanted to lead.

"Anyway, I followed her to where she was hiding Toothless," Hiccup continued, snapping Astrid out of her thoughts. "And...that's when things changed," he added softly. "_I_ changed," he finished almost bitterly. Valka listened in silence.

"Look, it's true that Stoick didn't take too well to finding out about me training a dragon," Astrid admitted with a shrug. "But the entire village was there when we battled the Red Death. _That's_ when we showed them...after that...they _all_ changed," she sighed. Valka broke eye contact with an expression that still showed disbelief but there was doubt there as well. Maybe they'd gotten through to her.

"So...uh…how, exactly, did Hiccup end up at the top of a tree?" she asked awkwardly, breaking the tension of the silence that had followed. Astrid laughed nervously, grateful for the return to the original topic.

"Oh! Heh-heh...yeah...about that..." she mumbled.

"Yeah – _they're_ the ones who put me there," Hiccup smirked. Valka blinked in surprise. "In their defence, I was about to snitch so...I'll let you off," he shrugged, poking his tongue out at Astrid who rubbed her shoulder.

"You _punched_ me in the shoulder once we got back!" she protested with a squeak. "I hardly call that 'letting me off'!" she added, kicking out at her fiancé with her good leg. Toothless contributed by whacking Hiccup on the head with his tail – Hiccup retaliated by throwing a snowball into Astrid's face. Valka giggled warmly – it made her so happy to see the two children she'd once seen constantly at odds finally getting along as much as a Viking couple would.

/\

As the morning shifted into noon, the topic had changed to Astrid's recent explorations and she unfolded her map excitedly to show her foster-mother all of the places she'd visited.

"...and then, just past Dragon Island, I found this archipelago..." Astrid explained only to pause as she saw Valka almost dancing around her and Hiccup. The Vikings frowned in confusion before they noticed that Valka was extending the map on the snow to show the places _she'd_ explored. Astrid marvelled at how much she had left to see...so much to explore. The awe of the moment was cut short as Toothless began prancing around the area with a large icicle in his mouth.

Astrid giggled lightly as memories of the night when her friendship with the dragon had first started came flooding back to her. The Night Fury was behaving in exactly the same way now as he had then. Valka smirked in confusion at Astrid who shrugged with a smile whilst Hiccup laughed softly, crossing his arms and shaking his head in amusement. Toothless eventually came to a stop next to Cloudjumper and opened his mouth to drop the icicle, only for his eyes to widen in shock as the blue-white spike stuck to his tongue and wouldn't drop off.

The Stormcutter merely watched in mild amusement at the Night Fury's struggles.

/\

Further into the afternoon, once the Bewilderbeast had provided lunch for the entire flock...herd...whatever you called it...Astrid had been showing Valka Inferno and explaining how it helped her with the testier dragons she'd met. Hiccup had noted dryly about his worry when it came to his girlfriend and weapons but Valka was eager to see Inferno in greater detail. After showing off its usual functions, Astrid glanced at Cloudjumper and thought of something – what if she coated the blade with a different kind of saliva? She had a spare vial after all – it was worth a go.

After asking Valka permission, Astrid scooped some of Cloudjumper's saliva off his tongue and slotted the vial into Inferno in place of the usual Monstrous Nightmare spit. Grinning in anticipation, Astrid activated the blade...

...only to be sent stumbling backwards in panic as she literally set off an inferno at the end of the blade. Hiccup yelped and dived for cover whilst Cloudjumper shielded Valka with his wings. After a few panic inducing moments, Astrid was able to stick the blade into the snow, extinguishing it and she panted heavily whilst Toothless chased some stray embers. Wincing, she looked at a very singed Cloudjumper who raised his head to look at her in shock whilst Valka poked her head out from behind his wings and laughed. Hiccup uncovered himself from the snow and glared at Astrid who giggled nervously.

Note to self: stick with Monstrous Nightmare saliva.

/\

The afternoon drifted into evening once again as the sun began to dip down towards the horizon. Having had dinner, Valka had led Astrid and Hiccup to a warm vent close to the shore, one that reminded Astrid a lot of the Rookery where the dragons migrated every Snoggletog if they were having babies. One by one, dragons leapt off the nearby cliff and hovered playfully on the warm gust of air rising from beneath them, wings spread to catch the warm air and growling in the way that always made Astrid think they were laughing.

As Toothless hovered with his tongue poking out, Astrid was holding onto his saddle and hovering slightly above his back because of the updraught whilst Hiccup was balancing on his borrowed Nadder's back, just like his mother. Valka was beaming happily, just the way Astrid and Hiccup remembered her, as she began leaping from dragon to dragon, using her staff to balance herself and hook onto wings and horns as she clambered around in the air as if she was on a large climbing frame like the one Gobber had made for the children back on Berk. As she passed Hiccup on his borrowed dragon, she ruffled his hair playfully before she landed on Toothless' wing. She stepped lightly over to Astrid whose face also showed a shining beam. Hopping over Astrid, Valka placed a caring hand on her foster-daughter's shoulder before slipping gracefully off Toothless' other wing, landing seamlessly onto Cloudjumper's back.

The dragons began to disperse as the sun began setting over the horizon once again, leaving the trio the last ones in the skies. Valka knelt on Cloudjumper's back, her braid flying out behind her in the wind.

"When I'm up here..." she murmured as Hiccup and Astrid flew up to join her. "I don't even feel the cold!" she exclaimed happily. "I just feel..." she trailed off but Astrid finished the sentence for her.

"Free," she agreed. She knew the feeling. From that first flight with Toothless she'd felt a freedom beyond what any sailing expedition could have ever given her. She was alive in an infinite space, able to travel wherever she pleased. Touch the sky if she wanted. Skim the waves if she so desired. To fly was to be free. Astrid knew this, as did Valka. The woman smiled at the two Vikings before flinging her arms outward as if they were wings.

"_This_ is what it is to be a dragon, kids," she smiled. Hiccup's smile faded slightly...so his mother believed herself to be more dragon than human? Luckily Astrid spotted her fiancé's glum face and knew exactly how to cheer everyone up. A playful grin crossed her face as she unhooked herself from Toothless' saddle.

"It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon, Valka," Astrid smirked, swinging her legs up so that she was perched to spring on Toothless' back. Hiccup's eyes widened with worry – uh oh... "But can _you_ fly?!" Astrid hooted as she somersaulted off her dragon's back and into empty space.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup yelped whilst Valka stared after the twenty-year old in stunned silence. Astrid remained in free-fall for a few seconds before snapping her flight suit open, laughing joyfully. Valka gasped in amazement, casting a glance at her son.

"Did she...? Is she always like this?" she asked with a large grin on her face.

"Reckless? Threatening to scare the boots off me at least three times a day?" Hiccup noted dryly. "You have no idea." Meanwhile, Cloudjumper had shot a shocked and irritable look at Toothless who stared back with a smug grin on his face for a moment before his eyes widened as if he'd just remembered that his rider didn't have brakes. Beating his wings as hard as he could, Toothless did his best to catch up with Astrid but she already had too much of a head start – the Night Fury just had to hope that they didn't have another incident like the one three days ago.

Astrid laughed and turned over onto her back, grinning as she did in Hiccup and Valka's direction. For a moment, she hung in the air, confused when she didn't see them until Valka showed up a short distance away and Hiccup appeared next to her, both crouched on their respective dragons' backs with the same impressed smile on their face. Astrid's own smile widened at the sight – mother and son were reunited after too long apart. Laughing in delight, Astrid flipped over again until…

"ASTRID! LOOK OUT!" Hiccup yelped. Astrid screeched as she spotted an oncoming pillar of snow and ice.

"Oh, no! TOOTHLESS!" Astrid yelled in terror. Hiccup and Valka had to fly out of the way to avoid crashing themselves as Toothless once again only just caught his rider in time to wrap his wings protectively around her, barely missing the rock pilled under the snow before tumbling down a slope, white powder flying everywhere before the black dragon finally came to a halt.

Hiccup landed nearby and leapt off the Deadly Nadder with a worried look on his face as he jogged over. Toothless shook himself out of a daze and unfurled his wings to check on his rider…only to start flailing around in horror when he saw she wasn't there.

_Human? Where are you? Oh, gods? Where did you go? Not again…_

"WOO-HOO!" a Nordic Blonde girl cheered as she suddenly popped out of the snow next to Toothless. Hiccup sagged in exasperation – _no concern for the fact she almost died again_! Astrid pulled herself out of the snow, laughing in exhilaration as she brushed herself down. "Alright! Almost!" she crowed. Hiccup and Toothless shared cynical glances with each other as Toothless sneezed a patch of snow off his nose. "We just about had it that time," Astrid laughed breathlessly as she began tucking away her flight suit.

Toothless glared at his rider, having had just about enough of her antics. Getting his own back, he swept his tail under Astrid's feet, sending her flying backwards into the snow with a yelp as she was half buried in the cold white stuff. The sight was so funny that Hiccup couldn't help but burst out laughing. Astrid quickly sat upright, covered in snow.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do ya?" she glowered sarcastically. Hiccup was nearly bent double with laughter.

"You should see your face…" he stammered through his chuckling. Her sarcastic glare never leaving her face, Astrid gathered up some snow in her fists.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see you laugh at this!" she grunted with a smirk as she flung the snowball at her fiancé. Hiccup looked up for less than a second only for the snowball to hit him smack in the forehead, sending him flying backwards. Astrid laughed playfully and scrambled to her feet in order to run for cover, narrowly dodging a snowball from Hiccup as he retaliated.

Valka landed Cloudjumper next to Toothless and laughed for a moment, watching the snowball war between the two Vikings. The two of them were laughing like children, shoving snow down the others backs and landing snowball hits square on target before giving up and resorting to tackling each other. In the end, Astrid tackled Hiccup from behind and they rolled a short distance before collapsing in a fit of giggles in each other's arms. Valka jogged over to help them up but it was a moment she wished could be captured forever. To see the children she'd know to barely speak to each other before to be so close now…it warmed her heart.

Valka eventually managed to help both Hiccup and Astrid to their feet, brushing the snow off them before examining Astrid's flight suit.

"Incredible!" she remarked in amazement. Astrid shrugged.

"Not bad yourself," she pointed out. Valka fumbled about for a while before one hand rested on Astrid's shoulder and another on Hiccup's cheek. The woman paused before a warm smile crossed her face as her aquamarine eyes flickered between the two Vikings – Astrid smiled back and placed a gentle hand on Valka's and Hiccup, all and any lingering confliction over his feelings gone, leant his cheek into his mother's hand. Valka's eyes lit up with a happy realisation.

"All this time...you've grown so much," she whispered to Hiccup. "Just like your father said...you really did grow up to be one of the strongest of them all." Hiccup's face lit up with a surprised pride, as did Astrid's before Valka turned to face her. "And Astrid...this whole time and you were just like me..." Valka's face suddenly turned into a regretful frown. "And...where was I through it all?" She withdrew her hands from the Vikings in front of her and turned away in regret. Valka paused for a moment before looking back at the two she'd called her children. "I'm so sorry, kids," she murmured. "Can...can we start over?" she asked. "Will you give me another chance?"

Astrid smiled warmly in reply and Hiccup nodded gently as he carefully took his mother's hand, squeezing it in comfort. The forgiveness wasn't necessary. Hiccup had thought about the situation throughout the day and had come to realise why his mother hadn't returned or sent word that she was alive: there were so few resources out here for building a boat of any nor did Valka have the access to the tools to make one if there were. She couldn't have taken a dragon back – it would have been killed on sight at the time, and she would have been either killed or exiled, regardless of her connection to the chief, and by the time Astrid had learned how to train dragons, it was too late. Fifteen years of rescuing dragons and living among them and no doubt all thoughts of going home would have left Valka's mind. Now, there was a chance that she might come home...

"Do you reckon you could give Berk another chance if we did?" Astrid offered tentatively. Valka frowned and turned away again. "Please, Valka...we're not lying when we say everything's changed."

"We can help protect your dragons!" Hiccup suggested. "We've worked so hard to protect our own – Dad won't have any issue with protecting yours." At the mention of her husband, a small tear leaked from Valka's eye. "He's missed you so much, Mom," Hiccup added, almost with a pleading tone to his voice.

"He'd be so angry if I were to return..." Valka murmured.

"He's changed, Valka," Astrid reassured her. "If you'd just give him a chance..." Valka stood still and said nothing so Astrid tried a new angle. "Even if he was angry, we'd welcome you gladly to our Dragon Academy," she offered with a playful grin. _That_ caught Valka's attention.

"You have a Dragon Academy?" she blinked in surprise.

"Sure, we learn all kinds of stuff together," Astrid nodded excitedly. "We founded it not long after the dragons moved in."

"We learn how to train them and teach them live with us and at the same time we learn how to live with them," Hiccup piped in, catching on with what his fiancée was thinking. "It'd be great to have you as a teacher." Valka started in surprise.

"Me? A teacher?" she spluttered.

"Sure!" Astrid nodded. "There must be so much you know! The kids would love you!" she added. A smile returned to Valka's face.

"If dragons _can_ live alongside Vikings...I could teach them how to..." she mumbled in excitement to herself. Valka's face brightened up significantly as the prospect of passing on her knowledge hit her in all of its magnificence. "I could teach you all that I've learnt these past fifteen years!" she exclaimed in excitement as she walked over to Toothless. Astrid cocked her head curiously as she watched, as did Hiccup.

"That's the idea," Hiccup chuckled.

"Oh, you know when you crashed earlier, Astrid?" Valka grinned, stroking Toothless' head. Astrid flushed and seeing as the summer sun was still up even though it was early evening, it showed. "Watch," Valka continued, pressing down into a small area at the base of Toothless' neck. The Night Fury shuddered for a moment happily but the pressure point was clearly more than somewhere the dragon liked being scratched. Along his back, where there was a line of dorsal-fin-like spines, the spines suddenly split open into V-shapes, a far more aerodynamic shape and better for tight manoeuvres.

"Wow!" Astrid breathed in amazement as Toothless bounded over happily, his eyes wide with glee.

"Now you can make those tight turns, young lady," Valka smiled. Toothless jumped happily over to his rider as Astrid patted his head.

"Did you know about this?" she asked with a small chuckle. The clapping motion Toothless made with his spines indicated that no – he hadn't known about this. Hiccup laughed at the sight of the dragon acting so much like a kitten it was unbelievable. Toothless proceeded to dive around through the snow in his joy, trying to play with Cloudjumper but the Stormcutter was, rather hilariously, not having any of it.

"Every dragon has its secrets," Valka grinned with a wink. "And I'll show them all to you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the shoulders of the two Vikings as they watched Toothless jump out of the snow, spraying a pile of it onto Cloudjumper's head – the Stormcutter proceeded to re-dump the snow onto Toothless' head. "This Dragon Academy of yours...we'll solve every mystery! Discover every last species!" Astrid and Hiccup shared an excitedly glance – Valka was actually considering coming home! "And we'll head the exploration together! As mother, son and daughter!" Valka continued, turning the Vikings around so that they were facing her. "I don't know the full story about how you've managed to change Berk when I failed after trying for so long," she smiled, almost sadly. "But you both have a gift...we all do," she added. "It may be different in our own way, but it has the same grounding – a desire for peace." Astrid felt her heart flutter at those words – that was exactly what she wanted...peace. "These gifts, no matter what they may be...they bond us."

Valka gazed at both of the Vikings in the eye, now standing up straight at her full, proud, six-foot-three height. Each one of the trio had a beaming smile lighting up their faces. These hopes for the future...they would bring them together again...allow them to catch up on the past they had lost together. Valka could see these two fly together...talking...spending time...them starting a family of their own...she could see them live as she'd always hoped they would. As friends...the closest there could ever be.

"Hiccup..." Valka murmured, shifting her gaze to her son. "I imagine you're nearly at the point where you are to become chief, correct?" Hiccup's smile faded slightly – he'd almost forgotten about that over the events of the past few days.

"Soon as possible, if Dad has anything to say about it," he mumbled. Valka placed a comforting hand on his cheek again – even after so long away from her family, she was still a mother at heart.

"You've always had such a strong desire to keep those around you safe," she pointed out. "If I remember anything...it's that you know who you are. You're a Haddock – a proud and brave young man," she smiled. Hiccup smiled back before his mother shifted her gaze to Astrid. "Astrid...wow...I never thought we'd be so alike!"

"I wasn't expecting it either, I'll admit that," Astrid smirked.

"You have the gift to see in others what many were blind to," Valka beamed gently. "_This_ is who you are, lass. Who we _all_ are," she added. This time, it was Astrid's turn to have her smile fade – even after all of that...after finding out who she seemed to take after, despite the woman not even being her flesh and blood...she was still confused and hesitant to say she knew who she was. True, she was a peacekeeper. True, she did, as Valka put it, see in others what many didn't. But at the same time she was a Hofferson. The blood of a warrior was supposed to run in her veins and yet she was by far the weakest fighter when she was without a dragon. Only in her Berserker-Mode did she ever show such fearsome strength and in those moments she was unpredictable. Who was she really?

"So...you'll come home?" Hiccup asked hopefully. "And help us learn more?" Valka still looked hesitant at the thought of home.

"Maybe not Berk...but I will never be far," she promised. Hiccup's face fell. That wasn't what he'd been hoping to hear. "Rebuilding a nest would take time and...well, with Drago out there..." she trailed off. "I don't want to leave the dragons without someone who can help free them in a fix..." Astrid was suddenly struck by her motives for venturing into the far northern waters to begin with.

"How about we all go talk to Drago together?" she suggested. "There has to be some way I can change his mind. I managed to..."

"What?" Valka spluttered in confusion. "Astrid, I'm not one to judge about Berk – if you and Hiccup both say it's changed, I'm willing to believe that if slightly." Hiccup's sad expression turned into a frustrated scowl. _Still_?! "But there's no talking to Drago."

"Oh, come on!" Astrid huffed. "If someone would just let me..._help_ me...I could..."

"No. We must protect our own, Astrid," Valka cut across. Hiccup and Astrid shared a scowl – again with that mantra. Valka hopped up onto Cloudjumper's back, preparing to head back to the nest. "Come on – we should be getting back. We've a lot to talk about."

She flew off into the skies before Astrid or Hiccup had a chance to call back to her. Both Vikings shared another glance at each other.

"Is that some family motto I didn't know about till now?" Astrid huffed. Hiccup folded his arms and glanced around, only to sag slightly when he saw that his borrowed Nadder had flown off.

"If it is, I also didn't know. Mind giving me a lift back?" he asked. Astrid nodded.

"I can't stick around here, Hiccup," she sighed. "Remember what Eret said about Drago?" Hiccup asked which part. "He said that he's found the ice-spitter's cave. The whole nest is in danger...if I don't do something soon..."

"I know," Hiccup comforted, placing a hand on Astrid's shoulder. "And I'm sticking with you the whole way through, okay?" he reassured. Astrid nodded only to suddenly come to a stop when she spotted Toothless still grinning...well, toothlessly...like an idiot as he clapped his split dorsal fins together.

Some unholy offspring of lightning and death.

* * *

**Long chapter is long but couldn't find anywhere to end it. See what I mean about the chapters in this thing becoming longer? **

**OH, MY ODIN! The Hiccstrid interactions in this thing...I'm loving writing them. It's difficult working the dialogue and the story around the fact that it's the pair of them and Valka rather than just Hiccup but I think it's coming out well. Tell me what you guys think in the reviews. Just realised we're just under halfway through this thing already... By the way, I am SO sorry for missing the Friday update!**

**Side note - in the development for HTTYD 2 there was actually a couple of moments in the ****_Flying With Mother_**** segments that were removed from the final film, these being Hiccup and Valka flying through columns of ice and we're given a closer look at Valka's flying skills with Cloudjumper; and the other being Hiccup testing out Cloudjumper's saliva with Inferno. Couldn't resist including these scenes in here so there you go!**

**Another side note, I've done a drawing of my designs for Astrid throughout the series in this role-reversal AU, which can be found on my deviantART account. ****Go check it out if you wish - I'm thinking of doing another one for Hiccup, what do you guys think?**

**Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a very nerve-wracking day tomorrow so I've got to prepare for that. ****See you guys on Wednesday with the next chapter!**


	13. Meet Drago

**Meet Drago**

Meanwhile, out to the furthest North that any Viking had ventured in living memory and possibly even further than that, the rest of the Dragon Riders had finally come to rest after nearly an entire day of flying. Snotlout, at the very least, had been keeping himself entertained by tormenting Eret any way that he could (usually by playing Drop-Fetch with Stormfly). Once they'd reached the location Eret said was the main base for Drago's operations, Snotlout glanced at Stormfly on last time as they were coming in to land.

"Okie dokie, girl – drop him," he instructed. Stormfly obliged and Eret fell face down into the snow. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run but Stormfly ended up landing on top of him. Underneath the blue and yellow dragon, Eret glared at Snotlout in irritation.

"Okay, I did what you wanted now get this thing off me!" he snapped. Snotlout stared at him with a smug blankness of his face.

"Uh, never take a toy from a dragon – duh!" he shrugged. "Gods, don't you know anything?" He signalled for the others to follow him whilst Stormfly folded her wings over a still-grumbling Eret ("_Why_ does this keep happening to me?!"). The team clambered up an icy wall lightly dusted in snow and peeked over the edge – the area was a large sea port of some kind, although there didn't seem to be any surrounding settlements. Judging by the sheer size of the ships harboured below, however, no one would have been surprised if the inhabitants lived on them instead. The water was black and looked even colder than the waters of Berk and that was saying something.

None of this was what caught the team's attention the most however. In the centre of the ships was a large circle of black water that was boiling with large bubbles which frequently burst at the surface. Frowning, Snotlout turned to the rest of the group.

"What'd you reckon's down there?" he asked. Fishlegs placed down his hammer and dug out a set of cards – it was his Dragon Classification Deck, essentially the Book of Dragons condensed into a deck of cards for convenience purposes. He began shuffling through them to try and figure out what dragon could potentially be lurking beneath the dark icy waters below.

"Hmm…deep water dweller…large diameter bubbles…large lungs…" he recited as he flicked through his deck. He glanced at the others with a look of awe on his face. "You know something? I'm reckoning a Class Five Leviathan?" he guessed. "Maybe Six!" he added with a waiver of worry in his voice.

Suddenly, there was a loud squawk from behind them. Snotlout whipped his head around and flinched in shock when he saw Stormfly take off without warning. The other dragons stirred from their incredibly brief respite and began growling – the Riders quickly saw why. Men clad in furs and armed with blow-darts had surrounded the dragons, firing darts into their necks. Meatlug was the first to collapse when one found its way into her unprotected underbelly, Barf reared his head to breath a stream of gas when a dart stuck into his neck, knocking both him and Belch out cold. The twins raced forward to retaliate, as did Snotlout when Hookfang ended up with a dart stuck in his neck.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily, faltering when the blow-darts were turned on them. Fishlegs instantly threw his hands above his head, scattering his cards everywhere.

Well, so much for sneaking in to find Stoick and the others.

/\

Moments later and the dragons were all tied up in a pile on top of each other being dragged on a cart to the largest ship in the fleet. The Riders had their hands bound behind their backs and were being forced along by spears being prodded at their backs. Eret was walking a short distance ahead, not tied up but nonetheless having his daggers and other weapons taken away from him. The group were being led towards a figure standing at the head of the ship overlooking the dark waters below. From behind, you couldn't tell much about his appearance apart from that he was tall and had a large build.

As they drew closer, Snotlout bristled as Eret took on a swaggering stride, although he noticed that it looked nervous. He watched the guy closely.

"Drago!" Eret called. The man at the head of the boat turned to reveal his face – a heavily scarred visage framed by a tangled mass of black hair. Now that they were closer, the group could see the cloak of dragon skin that Stoick had spoken about – so this was Drago Bludvist. Eret continued his greeting. "Always nice to see you, old friend! Keeping warm up here?" The look on Drago's face remained unchanged and he gave no reply. Instead, he walked slowly down towards the approaching group – the fur-clad men around him parted ways and the armoured dragons on the deck of the ship cowered away from him as he walked past.

"A…As you can see, I am right on time with a new batch of dragons!" Eret spoke carefully, trying his best not to stammer. The sentence sent Snotlout and the others reeling in anger. For the love of the gods…Hookfang began to stir.

"He's waking up!" someone shouted. Snotlout looked over and smirked – now the mighty Monstrous Nightmare would show these guys who was boss. The serpentine-like dragon reared his head, his eyes narrow in anger and flashing dangerously as his tore his head free of the ropes holding him down.

"Someone help me out here!" another man shouted.

"Get 'em, Hookfang!" Snotlout encouraged. Drago however kept approaching with a calmness that frightened even Snotlout who never admitted to being scared…like, ever.

"Drop the ropes," he ordered. The fur-clad men backed away, leaving Hookfang to move his head as he pleased. Snotlout silently egged his dragon on as Dragon stepped closer. The two made eye contact and Hookfang instantly let out a stream of sticking fire towards Drago…who quickly shielded himself using his dragon skin cloak before the flames could turn him to ashes. He continued walking closer until Hookfang's fire ran out. The dragon resorted to angered roaring, determined to show the intruder who was boss around here…

Until Drago pulled a long bull-staff from under his cloak and began whirling it around his head, screaming loudly as he did so. The scream was loud a ferocious enough for the Riders and every other person in the near vicinity to also cower as Hookfang slowly lowered his head, yielding to the power this man seemed to wield. Snotlout watched in furious horror as Hookfang's head lowered to the ground and Drago placed his left foot on _his_ dragon's snout.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout blurted out.

"What're you doing?!" Tuffnut shouted.

"Get off him!" Fishlegs snapped. Drago ignored all of their outbursts.

"You belong to _me_ now," he whispered as Hookfang growled quietly in terrified submission. The man's beady gaze then shifted to the cart of dragons itself – there were still saddles on the dragons' backs. Eret quickly stepped in.

"And, as an added bonus, I even brought you their riders – no extra cost," he smirked. That crossed the line for the four Riders.

"WHAT?!" Snotlout spluttered. "You have _got_ to be kidding me…" he growled. Ruffnut groaned from the back of the group.

"Aww! But you were so perfect!" she moaned. Snotlout _and_ Fishlegs shot hurt glances at her whilst Tuffnut sagged in frustration. Eret ignored the outburst.

"Yep – turns out there's a whole bunch of them out there!" he explained. Drago suddenly stopped in his tracks. Faster than anybody could blink, he turned on Eret and suddenly had him in a choke-hold.

"How many?!" he growled softly. Snotlout turned to the others briefly – Drago didn't know how many Dragon Riders there were out there, which meant…

"He doesn't have 'em after all," he whispered.

"What now?" Fishlegs mumbled back.

"Go along with me – I've got this," Snotlout smirked back, raising his eyebrows a couple of times at Ruffnut – maybe now that she'd dropped her crush on Eret, he'd have a chance with her again.

"HOW MANY?!" Drago bellowed at Eret.

"Not enough to be a problem, believe me…" Eret stammered but Snotlout had already stepped in.

"Hundreds!" he claimed. "A whole island full!" Eret shot a worried glance at Snotlout but tried to cover things up.

"No need to worry, Drago – my men are hunting them down…as we speak…" he gulped as Drago's grip tightened around his throat. "They'll never know you're here – trust me…" Another opening, Snotlout took it.

"Yeah, they will!" he protested proudly. "They know the lot of us are missing _and_ we have tracking dragons!" That wasn't even a lie – Rhumblehorns were Tracker Class dragons, the latest class to be added to the Book of Dragons alongside Sharp, Strike, Fear, Mystery, Stoker and Boulder. Snotlout's already large amount of confidence grew even bigger as he began striding forward towards Drago – he _had_ to let him known he wasn't scared of him. "If you so much as put one itty-bitty finger on us, Astrid's gonna…"

"Astrid?" Drago interrupted in confused interest. Eret tried to step in and regain control of the situation, making gestures at Snotlout to stop but things were already too far gone. He could only hope the guy would shut up but that seemed highly unlikely at this moment in time.

"She's not a problem! Trust me!" he squeaked. Snotlout continued over the top of him.

"She's only the last remaining member of _and_ the heir the Fearless Hofferson clan," he explained with a cocky swagger. Nowadays it wasn't hard to pile the praise on Astrid. "Betrothed to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – who, might I add, is not only _my_ cousin but also Stoick the Vast's _heir_ to the throne of Berk," Snotlout continued, big-ing up his cousin to add to things. As a team, Hiccup _and_ Astrid could kick all kinds of butt, _especially_ with their dragons. Drago's eyes narrowed suddenly at the mention of the Hooligan chief. "Oh, and did I mention that Astrid's, like, _the_ greatest Dragon Master that this world has ever seen?" he added with a cocky smirk. That riled Drago up.

"Dragon Master?!" he repeated angrily. "I _alone_ control the dragons!" he snarled. The rest of the team shook their heads with smirks on their faces.

"Nope," Tuffnut chuckled.

"Sorry!" Fishlegs shrugged. Snotlout turned back to Drago.

"Now listen here, Bloody Fist," he growled mockingly, ignoring Eret's gestures at him to stop. "Unless you let us go right now, Hofferson will, and trust me, she _will_ come flying through here on her Night Fury and blow your entire fleet of ships to a pile of splinters," he finished with an arrogance that emanated from every inch of his short stature.

"Then they'll be crying like babies!" Ruffnut snickered. Fishlegs tried to make a move.

"Funny and beautiful," he smiled. Ruffnut shuddered whilst Snotlout shot a glare at his fellow Rider. Tuffnut tried and failed to join in on his sister's joke but Drago was already angered beyond reasoning. He turned on Eret again and grabbed his throat.

"First there was _one_ Dragon Rider," he hissed. "Now _all of Berk_?!" he roared. "And _you_ led them to me?!" Snotlout flinched – okay, this had…definitely taken the opposite path to where he'd wanted to go. He'd wanted to _scare_ Drago into letting them go…not make him crazy. Drago threw Eret (literally) to the ground and whirled around to face the rest of his followers, many cloaked in polar bear skins. His beady eyes were blazing in fury and his wild hair whipped around his face like black ropes.

"Cease _all_ preparations!" he bellowed. "We must attack the Dragon Rider's nest at the Ice Cave at once!" he added. Snotlout and the others frowned – what was this about an Ice Cave? Drago wasn't finished. "We shall take down their Alpha…and then, we shall take Berk!"

A roar of encouragement rippled around the deck of the massive ship from all except Eret and the Riders. Snotlout looked terrified, more than his companions. What had he just done? Eret crawled in Drago's direction desperately, reaching out a hand pleadingly.

"You're overreacting…" he cried. Drago glanced at the young man but didn't regard him any way. He instead glared at his nearest henchman.

"And get rid of him," he ordered. Eret's dark brown eyes widened in terror as Drago's men began surrounding him – without his weapons, he was helpless.

"Wait…wa…Drago! Please!" he exclaimed desperately as the polar-bear-hooded henchmen circled him and drew their own weapons, crossbows and poison blow-darts alike. A flurry of spiked flew towards his neck, ready to pierce the major arteries that lay beneath the skin…

…except they were swatted off course by a mass of blue and yellow scales that circled Eret protectively. Snotlout staggered in surprise – it was Stormfly. She'd managed to fly away when they'd been ambushed earlier just outside Drago's fort so he'd expected her to fly off to find Hiccup…yet here she was, growling and roaring as if she was protecting her own hatchlings as she defended the Dragon Trapper in front of them.

But not for long. A sedative dart quickly found the Deadly Nadder's neck and Stormfly collapsed to the deck and was dragged off with the other dragons to be chained in traps.

"STORMFLY!" Snotlout and the others chorused. Snotlout mumbled something along the lines of '_Haddock's gonna have my head for this_' but Eret stood in stunned silence. The dragon had saved his life…even after he'd tried to hold her captive during their first meeting. Astrid's words from the boat a few days before came ringing through his ears:

"_Once you've earned his loyalty, there is nothing a dragon won't do for you._"

Had Eret somehow earned Stormfly's loyalty? How was that even possible?

Either way, his execution had been stalled by that dragon. Perhaps…they weren't all he'd thought them to be after all.


	14. Stoick Finds Beauty

**Stoick Finds Beauty**

The next morning and sunlight was streaming through the green-blue ice of the Bewilderbeast's nest. Dragons were roosting after the morning's breakfast on the mossy rock columns and the fern-covered banks whilst the Bewilderbeast himself snoozed in the lagoon below. In the meantime, two Vikings were resting on the nearest ledge to the entrance – Astrid and Hiccup were preparing to leave the nest. They'd stayed up most of the night before discussing what they would do now that they'd found the nest…found Hiccup's mother. After what felt like and probably was hours of discussion, the two Vikings had decided to continue their initial plan of tracking Drago down before he reached the nest. After all, everything Valka had worked to build and protect was being threatened and even if they'd become distant, there was no way Hiccup and Astrid were letting that happen to the mother figure in their lives.

"Guess there really is no way we can stay here, huh?" Hiccup sighed as he packed some dried fish into a pouch. Astrid was sharpening her knife and checking that her gear was still in working order. That had also meant refilling her various vials for Inferno so that she didn't suddenly run low on the journey out and she did _not_ want to go into how much time it had taken to track down a Monstrous Nightmare in the Bewilderbeast's Sanctuary to do that. She would never say _anything_ bad about Snotlout again.

"No," the Nordic Blonde agreed. "We can't just sit around and wait for Drago to find this place. We have to head out there and find him ourselves."

Toothless suddenly shrieked in annoyance – Hiccup and Astrid both stifled snorts of laughter as they saw the baby Scuttleclaws using the poor Night Fury as a climbing frame again. Toothless' shriek scared most of them off – clearly the poor guy was far from happy from being rudely awakened from his post breakfast nap by those troublemakers – but his eyes narrowed in irritation when he saw that one was hanging by its gummy mouth on his tail.

"Ha-ha," Astrid chuckled softly, walking over. "Go on – shoo!" she ushered, unlatching the baby dragon from her friend's tail and making sure that the prosthetic fin hadn't been damaged. Toothless grumbled in thanks as Astrid scratched him affectionately.

"I can't just let everything Mom's done get put in danger," Hiccup sighed, mostly to himself. Astrid was only partially listening. "I mean…it's not that I like the fact that she stayed away for so long but…" he trailed off but Astrid knew what he meant and she walked back over to help with supplies.

"We won't let _anything_ happen to this place," she promised. "You'll see," she added with a smile, turning her attention to the pouch and making sure that none of the Scuttleclaws had decided to get some extra breakfast. Hiccup smiled gently at his fiancée.

"I know – you'll…MMPH!" he suddenly gagged, stumbling backwards. Astrid was instantly on high alert and shot upright, drawing Inferno and swinging her hand at a height that just missed Hiccup's head. How had they been ambushed? Were Drago's men here already…?!

"OW!" a large man with an insanely bushy red beard streaked with grey exclaimed as Astrid's fist and the hilt of Inferno came into sharp contact with his chin. Hiccup quickly followed the attack by elbowing his ambusher in the stomach and bending their hand backwards. "OOFF! YEOW! Kids!" the man grunted. The two Vikings stumbled into a defensive stance next to each other and Toothless growled protectively next to them but they quickly dropped it in shock as they recognised the man standing before them.

"Dad?!" Hiccup spluttered. "For Thor's sake, Dad! You _can't_ just sneak up on me like that!" he snapped angrily. Astrid flailed her hands around.

"What the heck…? How in the name of the gods did you get in here?!" she hissed. Stoick rubbed his chin and, after making sure he wasn't sporting a broken jaw or any broken fingers, handed Silver Edge over to Hiccup and Astrid's riding helmet back to her. Hiccup didn't hesitate the slip the hilt holding his Gronkle Iron sword back over his shoulder and into place, purely out of habit but Astrid's face was already set into a glare as her foster-father made his reply.

"The same way we're getting you out," Stoick muttered. Astrid did a spit take…well, she would have done if she was drinking.

"We?!" she squeaked.

"How many are you?" Hiccup snapped. His question was answered almost immediately as Gobber appeared in the passageway leading through the caves.

"All clear!" the man called. Astrid sagged.

"Great," she muttered. "Now all we need is the _whole_ _of Berk _to show up!" Stoick ignored her mutterings and grabbed her arm forcing her to follow. Hiccup jogged slightly behind and Toothless was mere steps behind them.

"Come on! We're going home!" Stoick snapped gruffly. Astrid shot a glance at Hiccup who nodded quickly.

"Uh…Stoick, before we go, there's, uh, something you really need to know!" Astrid called hopefully. Stoick wasn't having any of it as he continued through the narrow passages (how the flip were he and Gobber fitting?!).

"Yeah, yeah – tell me on the way, why don't you?" he huffed. Hiccup stepped in.

"Um…don't think this is really an 'on the way' kind of thing," he explained with an uncertain grimace.

"I've heard _enough_, you two!" Stoick growled.

"Yeah, I'd say it's more of the 'earth shattering' kind of development," Astrid added, ignoring Stoick's comment. Meanwhile, a short distance behind them, Toothless had gotten his wide head stuck in a gap. Astrid heard his grumbling and doubled back to help. "Big-headed reptile," she huffed, pushing his head backwards before signalling for him to turn his head sideways so that he would fit. Satisfied that her dragon was no longer stuck, Astrid stumbled back over a few rocks to catch up again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just add it to the pile," Stoick sighed sarcastically. And people wondered where Astrid and Hiccup had picked up their cynical comebacks from. Hiccup was still, once again, trying to get his father to listen to what he and Astrid had to say but Astrid cut straight back in once she'd caught up…although not before she tripped and was sent flying into Hiccup.

"Hey!" Hiccup exclaimed, narrowly avoiding a face-plant.

"Sorry, babe," Astrid mumbled before pushing past to catch up with Stoick. "Seriously, Stoick – unlike _most _surprises I…" Hiccup coughed. "Sorry, _we_ spring on you, this one you'll actually like!" she grinned hopefully after correcting herself.

"Yeah – you just have to handle this _delicately_," Hiccup pleaded, his face etched into a worried grimace. Astrid also winced – she wasn't even sure if 'delicately' was in a typical Viking's vocabulary. She suddenly ran into her foster-father as he came to an abrupt halt. Peering around Stoick's vast girth, Astrid saw why – Gobber was standing at the end of the tunnel with a very shocked expression on his face. Hiccup and Astrid both gulped and bit their lips almost simultaneously as the one-legged-one-handed man slowly walked over.

"You…might want to take this one…" Gobber mumbled, patting Stoick on the shoulder. The Hooligan chief's forest-green eyes, the same colour as he son's, narrowed in determination as he slipped his own sword from the sheath on his belt. Astrid squeaked and Hiccup's own eyes widened.

"Dad! I said 'delicately'!" he protested, trying and failing to push past his fiancée in the narrow tunnel after his father as the man headed around the corner. Astrid was already moving.

"Stoick! PUT THE SWORD DOWN!" she cried, running as much as her ruddy left leg would allow her, stumbling slightly but refusing to fall over. Her pride was way too strong for that.

Unfortunately Astrid crashed into Stoick _yet again_ and this time, Hiccup domino-ed into her. The muffled 'ows' and 'ooffs' echoed momentarily in the cavern the group had found themselves in but otherwise went unnoticed. Stoick had gone completely still and slowly lowered his sword until it fell to the floor with a clatter. In addition to this, he removed his helmet in amazement and also let it fall to the ground. Astrid poked her head around Stoick one way and Hiccup went the other way – Gobber stood next to Astrid as they all peered around the Chief to see what the hold-up was…

…although everyone already knew.

Lady Valka Haddock stood mere metres away, holding her staff at her side and standing in as equal shock as her husband in front of her. Her light green eyes were wide with a terrified amazement but her stance seemed almost defiant, as if daring Stoick to do something rash. Astrid gulped and shot a glance at Hiccup who also winced – this could go one of two ways.

"I say we back off," Astrid mouthed. Hiccup nodded reluctantly as his father began walking towards Valka.

"I know what you're going to say, Stoick," Valka gulped, trying to sound like the powerful woman she knew she was but the appearance of her husband…the man she'd given her heart to all those years ago…it made her falter. How was he going to react to knowing she was alive and had been this whole time? "How could I have done this?" she continued bitterly. "Stayed away all these years and why didn't I ever come back to you? To our son? Our adopted daughter?!"

"Uh…foster…" Astrid mumbled under her breath and just out of Stoick and Valka's earshot. Hiccup and Gobber picked up on it though. Valka continued her rant at Stoick as he slowly walked over. As he drew closer, the woman grew increasingly apprehensive.

"Well…what sign did I get that you could change, Stoick?!" Valka snapped, although the upset in her voice was clearer than crystal. "That _anyone_ on Berk could? I tried so hard and pleaded _so many times_ to stop the fighting…to find another answer…but did _any _of you listen?!"

Astrid involuntarily winced at that – she knew what it was like to try so hard to get Stoick to listen to her, only to literally be thrown onto her back. Hiccup noticed his fiancée's face and quickly squeezed her hand to comfort her. In the meantime, Gobber was making a comment.

"You see, kids – _this_ is why I never married," he muttered, indicating Stoick and Valka. "Well, this and…one other reason," he added. Astrid and Hiccup blinked a few times in surprise – wait, what? Valka hadn't finished.

"I know that I left you to raise Hiccup and Astrid on your own," she nearly wept, holding her staff in front of her defensively. "And I know it sounds stupid but I thought they would both be better off in your world without the woman who had impossible dreams of peace!"

This time, it was Hiccup's turn to wince, with an added growl which Astrid quickly worked to soften. She grabbed his arm and squeezed it gently, calming him down – the young man was still bitter about his mother's reasons for staying away. But what Valka said next made Hiccup hold his breath.

"And…I was wrong, Stoick," the woman admitted, verging on tears but refusing to let them leak from her eyes. Her gaze momentarily met her son's over her husband's shoulder with an expression that begged for forgiveness, even now. "I see that now…" she added softly.

"Mom…" Hiccup murmured with the smallest trace of a smile. Valka suddenly realised that throughout her entire rant, Stoick hadn't so much as made a move to talk. He was now standing right in front of her with a blank expression on his face – Valka had always been slightly scared of Stoick's ability to cover his emotions and had always hated it with a passion. She wanted him to get angry…she _wanted_ to be reprimanded for her actions…what love did she deserve from the family she'd abandoned?!

"But… Oh! Stop being so stoic, Stoick!" Valka snapped, her voice cracking slightly as she held her staff up and the dragons behind her, Cloudjumper included, bristled at their companion's fear. This man was making no move to hurt her but she was clearly apprehensive. "Go on!" Valka begged. "Scream…shout… Say something!" She was suddenly cut off by a gently hand being placed on her cheek as, finally, a tear trickled down her oval-shaped face. Valka's gaze met Stoick's…she saw no anger in the eyes that her son had inherited. There were no furious lightning bolts firing from those irises…just a gentle amazement and a love that she had missed for fifteen years.

Stoick did say something, but it was far from the scolding Valka had expected.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you," the man whispered. Valka finally let the tears go and wept quietly into Stoick's hand as he gently lifted her chin. She didn't resist and closed her eyes as they shared a kiss that had waited too many years to be had.

Behind them, Astrid's face broke out into a warm smile, bursting with joy. Beside her, Hiccup was struggling to hold back his own tears of happiness, biting down on his fist to stop himself from crying and gulping every few seconds. Astrid smiled warmly at her fiancé and nudged him gently, urging him forward. Hiccup shook his head, wanting to let his parents have their own moment, but no sooner that he had, Stoick and Valka's kiss ended and they both turned towards their son. Stoick smiled with a warmth Astrid couldn't remember and held out his arm. Grinning, Astrid gently pushed Hiccup forward and this time, he ran into his parent's arms.

Astrid found herself crying the most joyful tears that could come from a Viking. For the first time in fifteen years, the Haddock clan were reunited in one tender embrace.

* * *

**Early update today because I've got a busy evening in which I won't have access to a computer.**

**FAMILY REUNION! Nothing else needs to be said.**

**By the way, I have a new poll running on my profile in terms of my ****_Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons_**** fanfiction, which I'm currently posting over on deviantART. I was thinking about posting it on this site as well but I'm not sure where it should go in terms of my current plans: after this story is finished or after I've posted my currently planned crossover, ****_A Wolf and his Dragon_**** (HTTYD/Brave); or not at all. The question is, would you guys like to see the story posted over here and, if so, when? The poll is over on my profile and you have three weeks to vote (I'll be closing the vote a week before this story is due to be complete).**

**See you guys on Wednesday for the first of two double-updates next week!**


	15. Eret's Second Chance

**Eret's Second Chance**

Back at Drago's base, the ships had all had their anchors dropped and were following the head of the fleet. Drago himself stood at the bow of his ship, letting out his loud and spine-chilling cry as he swung his bull-staff around his head before slamming it on the chains in front of him – a large dragon of some kind was pulling the ship and Drago, the self-proclaimed Dragon Master, was the one at the reins. Near the back of the boat, the Berk Dragon Riders and Eret were being led over a lowered loading ramp which hung over the freezing ocean below.

"Urgh…could this day get any worse?" Snotlout grumbled as he was poked in the back towards the edge of the ramp, just a few steps behind Eret. He was asking a rhetorical question but Tuffnut decided that an answer was necessary anyway.

"Uh, let's see…" he muttered sarcastically. "We've all been captured, our dragons enslaved and now we're gonna be thrown into freezing water and die from drowning." Snotlout huffed – the guy was lucky he didn't break his foot there and then. Meanwhile, Eret was already peering over the edge into the bubbling wake left behind by the ship as it moved through the water.

"Hmm," he nodded. "Looks refreshing." The Trapper turned around to face Ruffnut who was the first of the Riders in the line to be shoved over the edge. She was glaring daggers at Eret and, to be honest, both Fishlegs and Snotlout couldn't be happier. "Please," Eret smirked, glad that the girl wasn't trying to hit on him this time. "Ladies first." Ruffnut was shoved forward with a grunt as she snarled at the man in front of her.

"_You_, Son of Eret, are a stinking, steam pile of dragon…" she began growling when Eret's smirk suddenly vanished and was replaced by an urgent frown.

"Duck," he interrupted, swinging his leg up and round. Ruffnut yelped but ducked just in time so Eret's foot came into solid contact with one of Drago's henchmen. Chaos erupted as Eret flipped the man's spear into his hands and cut the bonds tying his hands behind his back before knocking two henchmen into the water, grabbing a blow-dart and immobilising one other. The Riders took their cue and Fishlegs was even able to pin one of the men to the deck of the boat. Ruffnut's glare was quickly replaced by a sly grin.

"You go _get 'em_, you Son of an Eret!" she cheered, her previous rage towards the man all but forgotten. Before long, the area was clear of henchmen…well, clear in the sense that they'd all been incapacitated. Ruffnut eagerly smiled at Eret as he began cutting the ropes tying everyone's hands together. "Okay, I take it back – I love you again," she smiled. Snotlout overheard the statement and stared at Ruffnut with a stunned expression on his face. Really? She was willing to forgive Eret _just_ because of this?

"Urgh, pathetic," Tuffnut remarked cynically. Seeing his friend's face, he indicated the end of the ramp. "You know, you can still jump." This time, Snotlout elbowed Tuffnut in the ribs and reluctantly allowed himself to be freed by this new rival for Ruffnut's affections.

"Don't think this make us friends," Snotlout grumbled.

"I don't," Eret replied dryly, cutting the ropes. "Now, are we going to rescue your dragons and get out of here or not?"

Snotlout made a face as the young man headed off to the traps. He still wasn't entirely sure about this guy but if his allegiance had changed, he could prove a useful ally…Snotlout decided he would postpone judgement for now. He found himself wondering what Astrid and Hiccup would think about this situation…gods, where _were_ those guys anyway if they weren't at Drago's camp? Nonetheless, he followed Eret over to the traps and began searching.

"Check every trap! They're here somewhere!" Eret called softly as so not to attract attention (seriously, _no one _watching the ship was noticing anything!). Snotlout snuck around the best he could and occasionally tapped on the large traps dotted across the massive deck and then placing a hand on the metal dome – this was something he'd worked on with Hookfang to track him down whenever he was hiding in one of his moods. The taps were a signal for the Nightmare to heat up ever so slightly – just enough to warm his surroundings.

"C'mon! C'mon, c'mon…" Snotlout muttered as he hit the third trap without luck. The fourth one, however, began heating up as soon as Snotlout finished tapping – jackpot. Snotlout grinned to himself and began turning the mechanism to open the trap slightly. Climbing up once there was a gap big enough, Snotlout peered into the metal dome and his face lit up when he saw the, albeit chained, flame-red and black dragon. "Hookfang!"

Meanwhile, a few rows back, Eret was opening another trap. Ruffnut was standing nearby whilst Tuffnut was tracking down Barf and Belch and Fishlegs was looking for Meatlug.

"Is anyone coming?" Eret grunted as he turned the contraption. Ruffnut just leant against another trap admiring the view.

"I dunno," she replied with a coy smirk. "You just keep doing what you're doing." Eret huffed…great. Back to this. "Keep cranking…"

Eret decided to ignore the girl and clambered into the trap – he had no idea which dragon he would find in there but he most certainly wasn't expecting to see a large bird-like dragon, covered in sky-blue, bright yellow and crimson-red scales and with a crown of ivory spines spraying from behind her head. It was Stormfly…the dragon of that Hiccup boy…the Son of Stoick. Seeing her in chains somehow made Eret's heart wrench – the creature had been pretty much stripped of her magnificence…she looked pitiful chained up like that.

Jumping down into the trap, Eret approached as slowly as he dared, kneeling down in full view of the Deadly Nadder and staying out of the blind spot that he'd been taught about since he could walk. The blind spot was useful for trapping…but now, that was not where his allegiances lay. Stormfly cooed gently upon seeing the trapper as he held his hand out towards her, mimicking the gentle movements Astrid had done on the trappers' boat…momentarily, Eret wondered what had happened to his men after his kidnapping. He wondered if he'd ever see them again. Another coo from Stormfly snapped him out of his musings.

"Thank you for saving my life," Eret murmured. Stormfly made a sound reminiscent of a purr and pushed against her chains to rest her nose in Eret's palm. The young man smiled with determination. "Now let me return the favour and return you to your rider," he offered.

In that moment, gone was Eret the Dragon Trapper. Now, he was Eret the Dragon Rider.

* * *

**Short chapter but I wanted to split it here – this originally would have gone straight into ****_For the Dancing and the Dreaming_**** and that ended up being an extremely long chapter so, hence the split. Anyway, double-update today plus another one scheduled for Friday because I won't be able to update next week.**


	16. For the Dancing and the Dreaming

**For the Dancing and the Dreaming:**

Back at the Ice Cave, the Haddocks, Astrid and Gobber were having dinner for the evening, being prepared by Valka and Hiccup, who had forbidden Astrid from going anywhere near the food. During the time between the Haddocks being reunited and this point, Astrid had barely stopped gushing about everything on Berk – by now, Valka was now nearly up-to-date on most of the various escapades of the teens following the Battle with the Red Death. Astrid had been vague on one particular outing involving a girl from an outside tribe, the Outcasts (Valka nearly broke a flask upon hearing about the alliance between the Hooligans and the Outcasts) and Berk's Book of Dragons but Hiccup had managed to persuade his mother not to press his fiancée on the matter.

"They're on pretty good terms now," he explained. "But I wouldn't go mentioning that particular adventure when Astrid's holding a weapon unless you want to lose a limb."

"Is that a quip at the peg-leg?" Astrid snapped sarcastically. Valka laughed nervously.

"Ended up able to lift an axe above your head after all?" she asked. Astrid shrugged.

"Not on a regular basis, unfortunately – Inferno's just about light enough for me," she replied.

"You don't want to see the lass when she blows her top, though," Gobber chuckled. "Her Berserker mode sends more villagers running for the hills than a Monstrous Nightmare on a rampage." Astrid flushed at the mention of her Berserker tendencies.

"_Thank you_, Gobber, for summing that up," she grumbled. Hiccup decided to lighten things up before his fiancée got too grumpy.

"You should've seen the looks on the Berserkers' faces when we used their Smouldering Smokebreaths plan against them," he cut in, grinning at the memory. Valka looked mildly surprised.

"They actually exist?" she blinked in amazement. Hiccup nodded – they sure did, he replied. Seriously, though – which was more believable? Fog Monster or dragons that stole metal for their nests? Really? Either way, Astrid cheered up instantly.

"Lost count of how many times we had to ram defeat into Dagur's thick skull before he accepted that his armadas are _nothing_ compared to Berk and our dragons," she laughed. "The guy escaped from _prison_ of all places and still wouldn't admit that we will always be there to hand his butt back to him on a silver platter!" she added, her voice going up and down in tone dramatically as she spoke.

"You said it, Lass," Stoick joined in good naturedly. Valka was listening with an open ear and her smile seemed more relaxed now, although she was still evidently overwhelmed by the whole thing. Her attempts at preparing the fish skewers and other platters covered her flustered self poorly and she fumbled cutting the fish – Stoick walked over and gently helped so she arranged some of the food onto a platter.

"Oh, boy!" Astrid grinned. "Trust me, Valka – you'd never recognise the place!" she gushed, collecting some fish from a nearby basket. Toothless hovered nearby trying to sneak a few bites but Astrid smoothly prevented him by bopping his nose with the basket lid. "Stop that, you – wait your turn."

"Astrid's right, Mom!" Hiccup cut in. "You know where we used to…"

"_Gobber and I_," Astrid corrected sharply. Hiccup shot her a wry glance.

"Whatever…used to make weapons?" he continued. "Well, Astrid makes saddles there now, _and_ wing-slings!" he explained with a high level of pride in his voice.

"Gobber even fixes the dragons' teeth!" Astrid added excitedly, walking over to Valka who'd just finished with a plate. Again, Toothless tried to nab some of the fish but Valka had already handed a plate to Astrid and another to her son. "I know Hiccup and I have been saying this a lot over the last few days but you would not believe how much it's changed!" _For the gods' sake, Valka – please believe us!_

"Astrid's changed Berk for the better, Mom," Hiccup smiled as he took the plate from his mother. Stoick's face matched his son's proud expression.

"We were lucky Helga and Elgar asked for a betrothal for these two – turned out better than anyone would have suspected," he chuckled. "She'll make a fine High Protector." Astrid flinched and flushed bright red for a moment – great, she'd almost forgotten about that – before she shot a sad smile at Stoick from her perch by Gobber and Grump who was, surprise-surprise, snoozing again.

"Thanks, Stoick," she replied softly. "You did well with Hiccup, too," she added with a teasing smirk shot towards Hiccup.

"Shut up…" the young man blushed furiously, sitting down next to her.

"Did I hear right?" Valka blinked. "High Protector?" she repeated softly. Astrid nodded slowly with a grimace on her face but Stoick seemed as enthusiastic as ever about the idea.

"It's about time there was one appointed to Berk," he smiled. "I couldn't think of anyone better." Astrid couldn't help but feel a small rush of pride upon hearing that but the thought of all that responsibility still frightened her slightly. Stoick gently placed his hands on his wife's shoulders but the movement caused Valka, unused to human contact like this, to flinch and the plate she was holding went flying. Hiccup and Astrid winced at the clattering sound but Toothless was fast and swooped in to try grabbing a meal, only for Cloudjumper to get there first. The black dragon looked pleadingly up at the owl-like Stormcutter who seemed to contemplate things for a moment before sick-ing up part of the portion to allow Toothless a snack. Astrid barfed – she never understood _why_ dragons thought regurgitated fish made for a good meal.

"That's one thing I'm _never_ gonna get about those reptiles," she mumbled to Hiccup who nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Valka had shot a timid and apologetic glance over her shoulder at Stoick.

"Sorry, I…I'm a little out of practise," she laughed nervously. Stoick smiled sweetly and gave his wife some space.

"Well, you know," he winked. "I didn't marry you for your cooking."

"Gods, I hope not," Hiccup snickered.

"_Stoick_ as well?!" Astrid spluttered with a disbelieving smile. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember Valka ever preparing a meal during the year before the fateful dragon raid. Hiccup, on the other hand, seemed to have the memory of goodness-knows what to have been able to remember his mother's cooking from before the age of four years old.

"Yep – her meatballs could kill more beasts than a battleaxe!" Gobber explained. Astrid gulped – okay, hopefully her cooking wasn't _that_ bad (she asked Hiccup about it later – apparently it was). Still, it seemed the Haddock boys had a knack for falling for girls with less-than-stellar cooking skills. "I've still got a few knockin' around in here," Gobber added with a chuckle. He took a bite of the fish Valka had prepared and instantly gagged and so nudged Grump to get the lazy dragon to open his mouth before proceeding to use him as a garbage bin. Astrid casually abandoned her plate and limped over to Stoick and Valka again.

"Oh, gods, Valka! Once you move back in…and with all your dragons, Drago's not gonna stand a chance!" she grinned, casting a look at Hiccup who nodded excitedly in agreement. Valka walked away with a flask to a trickle of water melting off the ice but Astrid barely registered this. "You can start teaching at the Dragon Academy like we were talking about and everything will be okay…!"

"Astrid," Stoick suddenly cut across his foster-daughter gently, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Slow down." At the side, Hiccup glanced at his mother and, seeing how overwhelmed she was, nodded at Astrid and indicated for her to sit back down.

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in," he muttered. Astrid nodded in understanding.

"Right – got it."

Valka stood by the trickle of water with her back to the group trying to gather her thoughts. Astrid shifted her gaze around the group and fidgeted awkwardly as Stoick gazed at his wife sympathetically, wondering what to do. It was clear that talking and trying to act like the family unit they might have once been wasn't working so he decided to try a different approach. Setting a plate down, he walked slowly over to Valka again but this time he began whistling – it was a tune that no one in the cave had heard for years.

Astrid's ears pricked at the sound of the tune – she recognised it…it was the song that Stoick and Valka used to sing and dance to on the rare occasion that Stoick was home in the evenings and still awake enough to spend time with the family. She remembered sitting on her usual spot on the stairs, a few steps higher than Hiccup, watching the two adults dance around the room, a little clumsily perhaps but nonetheless happily. It was on these rare occasions that Astrid remembered being able to sit within a few feet of four-and-a-half-year-old Hiccup and not have him constantly scowling at her. They were faint memories, but treasured ones.

"Isn't this…?" Astrid whispered to Hiccup whose eyes had gone misty with nostalgia.

"Yeah…" he replied quietly. Gobber smiled next to them as Stoick whistled the tune.

"I love this one," he noted. By this time, Stoick had reached Valka and had placed the now overflowing flask down on a nearby ledge.

"You remember our song, Val?" he asked softly before he began to sing the first verse of the song.

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas…_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you will marry me…_

Stoick finished the first verse almost worriedly as Valka continued to avoid his gaze. He brushed his hand affectionately against her cheek and tried to turn her head to face him – when she resisted, he didn't try to force her and instead lowered his hand as he continued singing.

_No scorching sun, nor freezing cold,_

_Will stop…_

"_Will stop me on my…_!" Gobber cut in abruptly. Stoick jolted upwards and shot a glare at his friend who didn't appear to notice. In the end, Astrid, who was sitting next to the man, decided to shut him up. Jeez, let the Haddock parents have their moment…

"Gobber?" she muttered.

"_Jour…_" Gobber continued so Astrid elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"GOBBER!" she hissed.

"_…__ney…_" Gobber trailed off as he met his apprentice's and Hiccup's matching glares.

"Shush!" Astrid snapped with Hiccup emphasising her point with an irritated pout just behind her. Gobber shrank back sheepishly.

"Sorry…" he mumbled. Stoick sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned back towards Valka, who still had her back to the group and wasn't making eye contact with her husband. Gently and lightly, Stoick took his wife's hand and lifted it to his chest – he didn't cling to it, so Valka could easily take her hand away at any time she wanted to, but although she still didn't look at him, she didn't flinch away from the movement.

_If you will promise me your…heart…_

Stoick trailed off again, willing his wife to sing her part of the song. Valka, however, stayed quiet; overwhelmed with a wave of emotions she couldn't hide. Confusion, nostalgia, regret and sadness all crossed her face seemingly simultaneously and it broke Stoick's heart to see his wife like this. After fifteen years apart, he couldn't say that he blamed her…he just wanted to show that he still loved her, even after all this time.

"_And love…_" he tried once more but again there was no response. Sighing softly, Stoick resigned himself to the fact that Valka may not join in the song like she had done before many years ago. Letting go of her hand, Stoick began to turn away when a soft voice began singing.

_And love me for eternity._

It was Valka's voice and Astrid felt her own face light up upon hearing it. It was the voice that had sung her and Hiccup to sleep on countless nights in the year Astrid had known her after her own parents had died. It was the voice that rang with Stoick's on Snoggletog during the traditional songs and dances in the Great Hall whilst the kids hung back in a corner to avoid being trodden on by the gigantic-in-comparison adults. It was the voice that Astrid only vaguely remembered, but had waited too long to hear again.

Taking a deep breath, Valka walked away from the flask and the trickle of melt-water and brushed past Stoick to stand in the middle of the cavern. Her face was etched with a slight worry as she let the words and movements of the song come back to her but it slowly shifted to unadulterated joy as she lifted her arm in invitation to Stoick to begin the dance that accompanied the music…the dance that was one of the few things that made Hiccup laugh with happiness when he was a child.

Valka:

_My dearest one, my darling dear,_

_Your mighty words astound me._

_But I've no need of mighty deeds_

_When I feel your arms around me!_

Stoick's face broke into a smile as the dance began – he and Valka tapped their feet together before he knelt down, leading Valka around him. She yelped lightly as she hopped over his leg and the sight only made everyone's smiles grow wider and brighter. Astrid swayed happily in time with the song and Hiccup tapped his foot ever so slightly – Gobber was bobbing up and down where he was sitting with the biggest smile Astrid had ever seen on his face.

Stoick:

_And I would bring you rings of gold,_

_I'd even sing you poetry…_

"Oh, would you?" Valka chuckled as she clumsily fumbled with one of the steps. Stoick smiled as he also made a misstep but the pair laughed it off as they corrected themselves.

Stoick:

_And I would keep you from all harm_

_If you would stay beside me!_

Valka couldn't help but look at her two children…one her own flesh and blood, the other taken in after her own family had gone…with a beaming smile and beckoned eagerly to them as she spun under Stoick's arms. Hiccup looked at Astrid with an equally bright grin on his face and indicated with his head as an invitation to dance. Astrid's eyes went wide for a moment _– uh, you're asking the ex-village-klutz who has one leg and the gracefulness of a Gronkle on dragon nip to dance_! Astrid shook her head ever so slightly but Hiccup smirked and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet – he wasn't taking no for an answer, despite his fiancée's laughing and squeaking protests.

Valka:

_I have no use for rings of gold._

_I care not for your poetry!_

_I only want your hand to hold…_

By this time, Hiccup had pulled Astrid into the centre of the cavern and had linked his arm with hers. Giving in, Astrid laughed brightly and felt tears of joy prickle her eyes as she and her fiancé joined in the dance. Stoick glanced over and chuckled warmly at the sight of his son and foster-daughter, soon to be daughter-in-law, dancing with the same gleeful clumsiness as him and Valka.

Stoick:

_I only want you near me!_

Hiccup and Astrid couldn't help it and began joining in completely with the song, singing and everything. Now, the two twenty-year-olds had never really sung before – the most musical Astrid had ever gotten at the very least was the occasional humming and whistling whilst working at the forge or on the map during her expeditions with Toothless – so the sound of Hiccup's nasal voice translating into a just-about tuneful sound (emphasis on '_just about_' – he was far from sounding angelic) and Astrid's still-laughing and slightly rough sounding voice singing was enough to set everyone on the verge of bursting out into peals of laughter.

_To love and kiss and sweetly hold_

_For the dancing and the dreaming…_

"WOO!" Astrid hooted as Hiccup placed his hands on her waist and lifted her several feet off the ground, spinning around as he did so. As he did so, Astrid's gaze met with his – the forest-green eyes, always shining with a proud glow regardless, suddenly sparkled with an exhilaration that Astrid couldn't recall seeing before. His face, framed with windswept dark auburn bangs that matched the colour of his mother's hair, radiated with pure delight as he lightly brought Astrid back down to ground level. A grunt combined with a slightly pained groan made Astrid glance over her shoulder momentarily – Gobber was also up and dancing cheerily and his peg-leg had, by the looks of it, accidentally caught Toothless on the nose and now the poor thing was nursing his face whilst whining rather pathetically. Astrid winced slightly but couldn't help the grin on her face – Toothless was a massive cat with wings and there was nothing that could convince her otherwise.

_Through all life's sorrows and delights_

_I'll keep your love inside me!_

_I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

_With ne'er a fear of drowning_

_And gladly ride the waves of life_

_If you would marry me!_

The two couples finished the song with another lift, brows glistening with a light sweat and panting not only from being out of breath but also from an ecstatic laughter that rang through the Sanctuary like bird song. The laughter only increased as Gobber held the final note.

"_MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_" he sang. Astrid and Hiccup laughed as Astrid wrapped her arm around Hiccup's torso and leant into his shoulder, placing her other hand on his chest as he hugged her close. Stoick and Valka also couldn't stop laughing as Stoick held his wife gently by the shoulders and Valka's hands were leant against her husband's chest. "_I'M STILL GOING!_" Gobber continued until finally, panting and beaming so much that her cheeks were hurting, Astrid lightly tapped his chest to say that enough was enough.

"Gobber…" she reprimanded gently, still winded from the dancing combined with the singing and laughing.

"I'm done," Gobber confirmed. The laughter died down enough for everyone else to speak and Stoick looked at his wife lovingly.

"I thought I'd have to die before we had that dance again," he smiled. Valka chuckled lightly, her aquamarine eyes shining.

"No need for drastic measures," she argued with a breathless laughter still ringing in her voice. Stoick smiled warmly back and took her hands in his before kneeling down before her, as if proposing to her anew. Astrid and Hiccup shared a warm smile with each other, leaning into one another as the scene unfolded before them.

"For you, my dear…anything," Stoick said gently. Valka smiled sweetly back at him in reply before he began talking again. "Will you come home, Val?" Stoick asked softly. "Will you be my wife once again?"

As if sensing the romance in the air, Toothless tiptoed up behind Valka and nudged her in the back, pushing her into Stoick's arms with a soft yelp. Astrid giggled lightly as she and Hiccup walked over, hand in hand, and Stoick stood up.

"We can be a family! We can celebrate these two creating one of their own…together," Stoick suggested happily, placing an arm around his son and Astrid who blushed a soft pink. After everything that had been happening over the past few days, Astrid had almost forgotten that she and Hiccup were due to be wed very soon. Stoick raised a playful eyebrow at Hiccup who smirked back in reply – honestly, those two had some kind of secret father-son-mind-reading-communication thing going on, Astrid swore to Odin. Stoick looked at Valka again. "What do you say?" Toothless purred and nudged Valka happily as the woman paused before answering.

"Yes," she replied, halfway between tears and laughter. Hiccup's face lit up like the moon on a clear winter's night and Astrid smiled warmly – the Haddock clan were finally going to be reunited…they could be the family Valka only dreamed they could be when Astrid and Hiccup were children and still getting down each other's throats. The perfect life on Berk had just become even more so.

"Great!" Gobber chimed in cheerily. "Hiccup and I will handle the cooking," he added with a light sarcasm that set everybody giggling again. Stoick patted Astrid on the back, making her buckle slightly but she managed to stay upright.

"Thank Odin you didn't listen to me, Astrid," he chuckled. "We never would've found each other," he added. Astrid smirked triumphantly.

"See? My stubbornness _is_ good for something," she said dryly, crossing her arms and wiggling her shoulders slightly in sarcastic boastfulness. Hiccup tapped her shoulder lightly.

"I just hope my stubbornness as a Haddock doesn't butt heads with it too often, then," he grinned, fishing something out of his belt pouch just out of Astrid's line of sight. Valka and Stoick, however, spotted it and their smiles widened, if that were at all possible, and Valka stifled a squeak as her son smoothly dropped to one knee in front of Astrid. "Will the Fearless Astrid Hofferson do me the honour of becoming my bride-to-be?" Hiccup asked, letting the question roll smoothly off his tongue. Stoick let out a booming laugh and Valka squeaked again as Astrid chuckled breathlessly, letting the young man in front of her take her hands in his.

"The honour is all mine in making this engagement official, my Chieftain," she replied happily. Hiccup grinned and slipped the ring – made of intertwining bands of yellow, white and rose gold and studded lightly with diamonds and sapphires – onto Astrid's right-hand ring finger.

"There we go!" Stoick boomed happily as Hiccup got to his feet and embraced Astrid tightly. "I'll start the arrangements for the wedding as soon as we get back to Berk," he added jovially. Astrid and Hiccup laughed breathlessly – they'd come a long way from hating the idea of a betrothal between the two of them. Now they were standing in each other's arms having, in Stoick's eye, made the engagement official the old-fashioned way, more than willing to spend the rest of their lives at the other's side. Over by Stoick, Valka was practically crying with joy.

"I never thought I'd get to see this day…" she wept softly.

"To be perfectly honest, neither did I," Astrid joked sarcastically, earning a playful nudge from her groom-to-be.

"Goes to show, miracles _do_ happen," Gobber cut in dryly. Hiccup shot a '_Hey_!' at the man as his parents started chuckling again but Astrid's smile shifted into a frown as she saw Toothless and Cloudjumper growling, their gazes set towards the main cave of the Sanctuary. Her focus on her Night Fury, Astrid's brow furrowed as she noticed how flat Toothless' ears were against his head.

"Toothless?" she murmured, walking over. She suddenly gasped as she saw the sight before her – dragons of every shape and size were racing past the little cavern towards the entrance of the Ice Cave. Their flight was direct and urgent – Astrid hadn't seen the likes since she and Hiccup had first discovered the nest at Helheim's Gate. The others, sensing the same distress as the Nordic Blonde, walked over quickly and stood in stunned silence with the same confusion upon seeing the rushing dragons. "What's happening?!" Astrid asked worriedly.

Her question was partially answered as a sudden vibration shook the cavern, causing tiny flecks of ice to fall from above. Astrid's eyes went wide in terror – the Ice Cave was under attack.

Moments later and Valka had raced onto a ledge overlooking the shores surrounding the Sanctuary. The sight that greeted her was one that sent chills down her spine and her blood boiling in her veins. The shores were dotted with war machines and dragon traps and swarming with a black mass of soldiers, whilst the ocean was covered in a mass of giant warships…Drago Bludvist's war ships. Valka's face shifted rapidly from shocked horror to ferocious anger as she glared with a deadly force at the battleground forming below her. Astrid, Stoick, Hiccup and Gobber skid to a halt behind Valka as they caught up and were met with the scene below.

"Oh, no…" Astrid gasped. Already? Eret had said Drago knew the location of the Sanctuary but she'd hoped they'd have more time than this. The icy structure shook dangerously as catapults were fired and armoured dragons shot fireballs directly at the mountain, opening the tunnels within. Valka started to hurry back into the mountain, ready to armour up and fight to defend her dragons, fuming hatefully when Stoick grabbed her shoulder to calm her down.

"Val!" he exclaimed. "It's alright – it's alright," he reassured, holding her hands firmly. Hiccup and Astrid jogged over next to them. "We're a team now!" Stoick pointed out and for a moment, Valka cast her gaze around her family and her hateful glare changed into a determined scowl as she nodded. Their family had just been reunited – they were going to stand by each other for as long as it took to get them all back to Berk and beyond that. "Now, what do you want to do?" Stoick asked. Stupid question but he still felt the need to ask it.

"We have to save the dragons," Valka replied firmly. Hiccup and Astrid nodded in agreement.

"Aye – you got it!" Stoick confirmed in determination, urging the group forward into the mountain to prepare for battle. "Come on, son!" he called to Hiccup who'd broken away from the group – Astrid nearly cried out in worry until she saw the purple Deadly Nadder Hiccup had used before flying up to the ledge and squawking at the young man.

"I'll meet you out there!" Hiccup called over his shoulder as he leapt off the ledge and onto the dragon's back. Well, it wasn't Stormfly but would do for now. "Don't worry! I'll be fine!" he shouted, keeping a hand close to the hilt of Silver Edge as Astrid flinched in concern.

Gods, and he accused _her_ of scaring the boots of him on a regular basis.

* * *

**How do I somehow manage to make a single scene last four thousand plus words? **

**In all seriousness, I loved writing this one – the Stalka and Hiccstrid interactions, the song…then of course, the moment is ruined by Drago's untimely arrival. Major action-packed chapters coming up next so brace yourselves! **

**See you guys on Friday for another double update!**


	17. Battle of the Bewilderbeasts

**Battle of the Bewilderbeasts**

Catapults and ballista shots were being fired from all directions but aimed in only one – the icy defences of the Ice Cave Sanctuary. Tunnels were being blasted open all around the base of the mountain and the un-armoured dragons residing from inside were tearing out of the new exit points to launch their counter-attack against the enemies destroying their home. Multicoloured masses of scales, wings and fired swooped down from the skies, picking up the fur and armour-clad soldiers below and carrying them off to be dumped elsewhere. Dragons might not go around looking for fights most of the time, but when their home was threatened, they took no prisoners.

In the midst of the chaos of the battlefield, Drago Bludvist stood, draped in his dragon-skin cloak and with his bull-staff at his side. His heavily-scarred face, marred into a permanent scowl, repeatedly scanned the area around him as he watched his men and armoured dragons continuously bombard the rocky and icy structure before them.

"Whatever comes, keep hitting the mountain!" he bellowed as his men began streaming into the tunnels they'd created in the base of the Sanctuary. Many were carried back out almost immediately, screaming obscenities and cries for help as they did so. Drago ignored this and kept his attention on the mountain before him. He only had one goal. "We need to draw the Alpha out!" he shouted.

Clashes from above mingled with the roars and clanging of metal below as Drago's armoured dragons struck the non-armoured ones from the nest, each bringing down the other in a flurry of wings, metal, claws and flames. Drago watched the battles, both ground-based and sky-based, with a dark smirk flitting across his face and evil intent glistening in his beady eyes.

"Ready the traps!" he ordered. On his command, the iron traps were rolled onto the shore from the ships – both dome-like ones resembling bear traps, spring-loaded ones that looked like mouse-traps and ones that were reminiscent of giant crossbows. The bear-trap-like ones were slowly opened to reveal screeching dragons bound up as bait inside. The Ice Cave dragons instantly fell for the bait, flying down to rescue their fellows only to screech in pain themselves as the traps sprung closed again, trapping them and severely damaging the wings of some. A dark smirk crossed Drago's face as he watched the dragons fall into his army's traps when a dragon in one of the open traps suddenly flew free from the metal dome. He growled in response.

Whoever hadn't checked the ropes holding that dragon in place was going to regret not doing their job properly.

/\

From the skies, Hiccup felt his blood boil at the sight of the dragons going down against traps they had no chance against without knowing how to properly tackle them. He was doing his best to guide his borrowed dragon through the chaos but the dragon wasn't Stormfly. It wasn't the same. Regardless, he wasn't going to let his mother's dragons…his mother's second home…go down to these people. Crouching down on the purple Nadder's back to stay out of sight from the ground, Hiccup led the dragon over to some of the still-open traps – if the Nadder could land a tail-spike on the ropes correctly, the dragons inside could free themselves after that. Nudging the purple dragon slightly, Hiccup grunted in satisfaction as it let off a stream of spikes from its tail but didn't wait around to see if they hit – a screech and a few fireballs later told him that he had. He spotted another round of traps being opened and directed the purple Nadder over to repeat the process…except there weren't any terrified screeched coming from these traps like the others.

There was green gas spilling out.

"What in the name of…?" Hiccup muttered to himself, squinting and peering over the Nadder's shoulder as much as he dared when the traps suddenly exploded as the gas was ignited. The force of the explosion sent Hiccup and his borrowed dragon reeling backwards and Hiccup was only just about able to hold on and recover when he spotted the dragons flying out of the traps.

"SURPRISE!" Tuffnut Thorston yelled from Belch's head.

"YEAH!" Ruffnut crowed next to him on Barf as they rocketed out of the trap. Hiccup couldn't stop his face from lighting up – he never thought he'd be so happy to see the twins. Okay, he hadn't been expecting to see them out here of all places, given that he'd thought that they'd gone back to Berk, but for now they were a welcome sight for sore eyes. Grinning wildly, Hiccup looped the Nadder back under control and as he did so, he passed a large man, almost as big as his father, with a mass of black matted hair and wearing a cloak made of dragon-skin…Drago Bludvist.

"WHAT?!" the man roared in angered surprise. Hiccup smirked – _let's see how you tackle _these_ dragons, Madman_. He led the Nadder towards the team, his grin widening when he spotted Fishlegs with Meatlug and Snotlout with Hookfang.

"What're you guys doing here?!" he cried as he flew through the middle of the group.

"Could ask you the same thing!" Snotlout yelled back.

"Got a little caught up," Hiccup replied cynically. "Now answer my question."

"WHOA!" a wail sounded nearby. Hiccup's gaze followed a familiar flash of blue and yellow, as did Fishlegs.

"That's what," Fishlegs pointed out. Hiccup's face lit up as he recognised Stormfly and he waved her down – he was as surprised as anything to see Eret on her back.

"Eret?!" Hiccup spluttered.

"Son of Stoick!" Eret greeted with a wobbly voice as he struggled to not fall from Stormfly's back. Hiccup glanced at Snotlout for an explanation.

"The guy brought us to Drago and now he's helping us fight the guy," Snotlout explained with a dry shrug. Hiccup couldn't help but grin – looks like Astrid had gotten through to the guy after all.

"Well, aren't _you_ full of surprises," he remarked.

"I do my best…" Eret mumbled. Hiccup stood up on the purple Nadder's back, ready to jump and rejoin his own dragon.

"Question – can I have my dragon back?" he asked quickly. Eret nodded in equal haste.

"Be my guest!" he replied. Hiccup patted the purple Nadder's back and indicated Eret – whatever he wanted, the dragon seemed to understand. Hiccup leapt into nothingness and landed with a slight wobble on Stormfly's back. As soon as he landed, he tapped Eret's shoulder and pointed at the dragon he'd just been borrowing.

"Mind if we swap?" Hiccup smirked. Eret's brown eyes widened in terror.

"Wait, what?!" he spluttered.

"He'll catch you – don't worry," Hiccup reassured, hoisting Eret upright before nudging him into jumping. Eret fell a few feet with a scream but, just as promised, the purple Deadly Nadder caught him perfectly fine. "Keep him with that Nightmare!" Hiccup ordered the dragon who squawked in affirmation.

"Nice one, cous!" Snotlout complimented as Hiccup settled back into his saddle. Hiccup smirked back in reply as Eret got used to riding bareback. "Where's Astrid?"

"Running late," Hiccup replied. "We've got this for now." He directed Stormfly back towards the traps and Drago's fleet before leading the team downwards into a nose dive. "Let's go!" The others hooted as they dived towards the traps, setting off fires and explosions left, right and centre.

"Dragon Riders coming through!" Tuffnut jeered at Drago's soldiers beneath them as he and his sister let off a stream of green gas. Hiccup signalled to Eret that it was their turn – after a few shouted pointers, the two young men gave the go-ahead to their Nadders to set off streams of magnesium based fire which set the gas alight, burning the traps and the rope and leather bonds holding the dragons inside. Free from the bonds holding them down, the trapped dragons escaped unharmed and joined the Ice Cave dragons in the air. Drago was less than pleased.

"CUT THEM DOWN!" he bellowed. Nets began flying in at the Riders from all directions and Hiccup had to quickly spin out of the way and higher into the sky to avoid being shot down – he was _not_ about to have another downed-Stormfly moment! One projectile – not a net but a catapult – barely missed Ruffnut, however, and the force it created as it whizzed past knocked her out of her saddle.

"Eret, Son of Eret!" she screamed as she began plummeting towards the rocks below. Eret still didn't completely know how to fly his dragon and could only watch as the young woman fell further and further. Ruffnut closed her eyes and waited to hit the rocky shore…except she never did. Both of her arms were grabbed at the last moment and she was yanked back into the skies towards Barf, Belch and Tuffnut. Ruffnut looked up and once again, everything seemed to go in slow motion as she saw Snotlout and Fishlegs both flying her back to her dragon. Ruffnut smiled blissfully as her epiphany dawned on her.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was still teaching Eret the basics of flying a dragon but the catapult fire had herded the pair of them back towards the mountain where falling blocks of ice were endangering their every move.

"Stormfly, up!" Hiccup yelled. Stormfly followed his command so he darted a look over his shoulder at Eret. "To the left, Eret!" he called. Eret did so, narrowly avoiding an oversized icicle. "That's it!"

"Look out!" Eret suddenly cried. Hiccup turned around and shrieked as he saw a large column of ice falling his way – he had no time to swerve and avoid it so he covered his face and waited for it to slam him and Stormfly to the mountain side…

Only to flinch at a flash of white blue light piercing through his eyelids before the ice pattered harmlessly against him. Laughing in triumphant delight, Hiccup crowed gleefully at the sight of Astrid, his father and Gobber, all kitted out in their flying and battle armour – Astrid had her helmet back on and everything, her blonde plait streaming out behind her.

"Whatever happened to you being fine?" Astrid yelled at Hiccup as he spiralled upwards to join her.

"I had the situation under control," Hiccup protested with a playful smirk. Under her flight helmet, Astrid smirked back.

"You got Stormfly back, I see," she noticed. "Where'd the other one go?"

"With the new teammate," Hiccup replied shortly when a screech below interrupted the conversation. "Ready on your command, mi'lady!"

"Let's go!" Astrid yelled in determination, scanning the battleground and seeking out a downed dragon surrounded by soldiers. On her signal, Hiccup and Stormfly scattered the men below with a flurry of spines whilst Astrid and Toothless knocked over a nearby net launcher with a plasma blast. Stoick was quick to follow with Skullcrusher, slicing the trigger line which fired the catapult and trapped some of the soldiers in their own net. The dragon itself was freed and quickly escaped into the air.

"ALRIGHT!" Astrid crowed in delight, punching the air in triumph. Below, the archers were targeting them just out of their line of sight.

"Take 'em down!" one of the archers shouted before something began knocking them down from behind – it was Gobber and Grump.

"Heads up!" the blacksmith called as Grump's tail bashed the archers down one by one from behind. He chuckled to himself in the wake of his doings. Astrid scanned the area once more and signalled for her and Hiccup to split – they could cover more ground that way. Hiccup spun off in one direction with Stormfly whilst Astrid shot off in another – as she did so, she flew past Drago as Toothless let out his tell-tale banshee-like scream.

"Dragon Master…" the man murmured to himself. So what that arrogant boy had told him before was true. The so-called Dragon Master of Berk did indeed ride a Night Fury. Back in the skies, Hiccup had begun pulling off ever more complicated manoeuvres on Stormfly to avoid being downed, his hand hovering by Silver Edge at all times as he leapt off her back repeatedly before landing back on his feet – in the end, he began balancing on his dragon's back just like he'd done that day during the races. In the meantime, Astrid had flown over to Eret who was riding the purple Deadly Nadder Hiccup had been using earlier. Upon seeing his friend, Snotlout also shot over.

"Welcome aboard, Dragon Rider," Astrid greeted cheerfully enough, lifting her helmet so that she could talk to Eret face to face. The young man tried smiling back at her as he maintained his balance on the dragon's back but he was so terrified that it came out more like a nervous grimace.

"Thanks!" he called back over the rushing wind and the sounds of the battle below. "I think…" he added worriedly. Snotlout suddenly flew in between Eret and Astrid to talk to the Nordic Blonde.

"Never mind him! Where in Thor's name have _you_ been?!" he snapped demandingly. Astrid shrugged, unfazed by his irritated tone.

"Ah, you know," she replied simply before looking towards the mountain. "Catching up with the mother-in-law." Snotlout glared at Astrid in confusion before she pointed towards the Ice Cave Sanctuary. Both he and Eret followed her gaze to see a four-winged dragon hovering near the peak of the icy structure with a person balancing on its back waving a long hooked staff. They wore a helmet and leather armour and carried a large shield at their side.

"Whoa…" Eret breathed in awe as an earth-shattering roar sounded. Moments later, a gigantic dragon emerged from the mountain, covered in ice-white scales with a mane of spines spraying out behind its head. The Ice Cave Bewilderbeast Snotlout could only stare in stunned amazement…that person on the four-winged dragon…was his aunt? Valka Haddock?

"_That's_ Hiccup's _mother_?!" Snotlout spluttered. Astrid glanced over her shoulder to check on Hiccup and her face shifted into a sarcastic pout as she saw what he was doing.

"Yep, now I know where he gets his sense of style," she remarked dryly. Snotlout and Eret followed her gaze again to see that Hiccup was, indeed, fighting the soldiers below by balancing upright on Stormfly swinging Silver Edge when the need arose…just like his mother with her dragon. Meanwhile, Drago's attention had been caught by the Bewilderbeast as it set off a stream of ice, scattering his soldiers.

"The Alpha!" he exclaimed with a maniacal grin. "_Now_ we have a fight!"

Splitting off from the boys, Astrid snapped her helmet back over her face and flew Toothless back into the thick of the battle. Overhead, Valka directed swarms of dragons towards the fray to attack Drago's army. One of the many Zipplebacks from the nest collided with the ground and set themselves aflame, spinning around the battlefield like a flaming wagon wheel scattering the soldiers and destroying some of the traps.

A sudden screech alerted Astrid to the Zippleback as it got caught under one of the mouse-trap like contraptions, pinning it to the ground. Adjusting Toothless' tail to make the appropriate turn, Astrid doubled back to act as the rescue squad.

"There! Come on, Toothless! Let's show 'em what you've got, pal!" she yelled with an angry determination. Toothless growled in affirmation and built up a fireball in his throat, letting the gas hiss to produce the banshee scream his species was famous for. As Astrid began to pull him out of the kamikaze dive, he let loose a plasma bolt which hit the trap perfectly, exploding it upon impact and freeing the Zippleback. Astrid glanced over her shoulder briefly before flying off into the battle, not for the first time feeling a surge of pride for her best friend.

_Night Fury. This thing never lets you down, never gives up on you and…never misses._

"Atta boy!" she crowed in triumph. Now _that's_ how a Hofferson rolls!

Meanwhile, Valka and Cloudjumper were also helping out the Ice Cave Dragons whilst the Bewilderbeast set to work on destroying the traps and Drago's ships. The pair flew from dragon to dragon, prying the attacking armoured reptiles from Drago's army away from their own. Valka yelped as a net suddenly encased her and Cloudjumper, sending them spiralling from the skies and past Hiccup on the way down.

"MOM!" Hiccup cried but Valka waved him away. Hiccup was forced to retreat as another barrage of catapults came flying his way whilst Valka and Cloudjumper crashed heavily to the ground. Shaking her head clear and recovering astonishingly quickly, Valka cut herself free and slid away from her dragon where she came merely a few feet away from the man who was not only her sworn enemy, but the sworn enemy of the dragons and Berk itself.

"I've waited a long time for this," Drago snarled. He readied his bull-staff, ready to strike but Valka was faster. She deflected his attack and instantly struck back with her own.

"You cannot take our dragons!" she growled, accentuating each word with a hit. "They are controlled by the Alpha!" She backed off slightly as Drago took a swipe at her, only to frown under her mask as the man's face twisted into a dark snarl.

"Then it's a good thing I brought a challenger," he smirked smugly. Without warning, Drago turned his back on Valka and began swinging his staff above his head, yelling savagely in the direction of the shoreline. On the flagship, the heavy chains were dropped and the sea began bubbling ominously as something began to break the surface of the dark, freezing cold waves, sending a cascade of water flooding the shore. Valka froze in terror once the water cleared.

It was a second Bewilderbeast, darker in colour than the one from the Ice Cave and also visibly bigger and meaner, covered in scars that were stretched in a horrifically ugly fashion over its gargantuan body. Fastened to its tusks was a pair of iron cuffs which the large chains had been attached to. It let out a deafening roar as Valka stood frozen in terror. In the air, the Riders had grouped together again and Astrid had to snap her helmet up again to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"_Another_ one?!" she squeaked in horror. Hiccup rode beside her on Stormfly and his jaw was nearly on his chest and his eyes were wider than coins. Fishlegs cried out in terror upon seeing the beast.

"I WAS _WAY_ OFF!" he shrieked. "THAT IS A CLASS TEN! _CLASS TEN!_"

Astrid and Hiccup could only stare in horror – Valka had said that only a few Bewilderbeasts were left in the world but they had never expected Drago to have one of them. Astrid could only guess how Drago had kept this beast under his control – judging by the scars, she took a hazard guess that the man had been training the dragon since it was a hatchling. No weapon could create scars like that and they were clearly not claw marks. Her heart panged with anger at the thought of the abuse this creature must have endured throughout its life, however long that was, but she also trembled in her saddle in fear at the sight of it. This dragon was a tyrant of a challenger to the more benevolent Bewilderbeast of the Ice Cave – she hadn't even felt this scared upon seeing the Red Death for the first time.

"No…" Valka whispered fearfully back on ground level. She couldn't take her eyes off this new Bewilderbeast as it lumbered aggressively towards the one she'd known for fifteen years. "No…" The scenario seemed almost impossible…how was there another Bewilderbeast merely leagues from her own? Under the control of the very man she despised?

"Come on!" Drago roared at the dark grey Bewilderbeast. "Take down the Alpha!" he ordered. Desperately, Valka smacked her staff into Drago's shoulder in a mad bid to get his attention away from the challenger to her Alpha and to stop his commands. But Drago was stronger and even though he was only using his right arm to wield his own staff, he quickly overpowered her and forcefully knocked her onto her back. Astrid spotted the commotion from the air and screeched at Hiccup to help – Hiccup didn't need telling twice. He wasn't about to lose his mother again. Back on the ground, Drago pinned Valka to the frozen earth and disarmed her before kicking her mask off her face, revealing her terrified expression as she struggled to get his foot off her chest. Drago laughed darkly and raised his staff, ready to drive it into Valka's neck when an explosion knocked him to the ground.

Shaking his head clear and standing up, Drago was startled to see two Vikings helping the Dragon Rider to her feet. One was a young man who resembled the woman in many ways except his eyes which matched the colour of the larger man…the man which Drago recognised as Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. Beside them, Skullcrusher and Stormfly extended their wings defiantly at Drago as Stoick helped Valka back to her feet and Hiccup stood by defensively with Silver Edge drawn.

"Thank you, both," Valka panted gratefully as Stoick brought his axe in front of him.

"For you, my dear…anything," he growled, glaring daggers at Drago. Hiccup stood back and let his father advance towards Drago Bludvist, his own eyes raging with a defensive anger as he stood by daring the man to make a move.

"You…!" Drago snarled at Stoick, recognition flashing across his face. He dropped his heavy cloak of dragon skin, revealing a metal left arm, as he began circling Stoick. The Chief of the Hooligans glanced back at his wife and son as the two Bewilderbeasts confronted each other in a threatening display in the background.

"Val, Hiccup – do you think you two can stop them?" Stoick asked. Valka and Hiccup nodded.

"We'll do our best," Valka replied, grabbing her staff as Hiccup sliced the netting off Cloudjumper before hopping onto Stormfly. "Come on, son!" Valka called.

"Right behind you!" Hiccup yelled back. The mother and son duo raced towards the Bewilderbeasts as the creatures clashed tusks, mirroring each other's flying style almost perfectly. Astrid spotted them as they flew past and couldn't stop a smirk when she saw exactly how alike they were. Despite their initial differing views at the start of Hiccup's life, the pair had proved to be uncannily alike. Hiccup really was the combination his parents. Back on ground level, Drago and Stoick had begun their own fight.

"I watched you burn!" Drago yelled in Stoick's face, slashing at him with his staff. Stoick blocked blow upon blow with his axe and landed a few punches of his own.

"It takes more than a little fire to kill me!" Stoick snapped.

Back in the air, Valka and Hiccup flew in between the clashing titans that were the battling Bewilderbeasts. Hiccup held up his hand passively the way he'd always seen Astrid do whenever they were faced with wild dragons whilst Valka whirled her staff around her head commandingly, also holding her free hand out in an attempt to calm the giants down. The pair were forced to split as the Bewilderbeasts butted heads – there was no calming those two down.

Back with Drago and Stoick, the two men were still clashing, their weapons ringing loudly with ever blow dealt and parried until Drago hooked Stoick's axe out of his hand and threw it away. Before he had a chance to impale the Hooligan chief, however, Gobber flew past on Grump and unhooked his mace hand attachment from his wrist.

"Stoick!" the one-handed-one-legged man cried, tossing the mace down. Stoick caught it and instinctively whirled around as Drago charged forward. The mace came into solid contact with Drago's forehead and sent him flying. Stoick was turning the duel in his favour but the same could not be said for Valka's Bewilderbeast. He was far older than Drago's, far less used to fighting…and in his age, far weaker. With one final charge, the dark grey Bewilderbeast rammed his tusks underneath his opponent and sent him tumbling to his side. The white giant struggled to get back to his feet as he was shoved against the mountainside but all attempts to regain the battle were lost as Drago's Bewilderbeast stuck his tusks into the stomach of Valka's, burying it in a devastating avalanche.

"NO!" Valka cried from Cloudjumper in the air. Hiccup stifled a cry and Astrid flipped her helmet up again, her face the picture of horrified shock as the benevolent Bewilderbeast lay lifeless on the ground in front of her. Everywhere she turned now, the dragons of the Ice Cave Sanctuary…those without a rider…suddenly paused in their movements. Their pupils turned into slits against sclera's of yellow, green and orange as they turned their heads towards the dark grey Bewilderbeast, flying in his direction before landing and bowing their heads…

Just as they'd done for Valka's.

"We've won," Drago smirked in triumph as his Alpha let out a deafening roar to solidify the victory.

* * *

**Long chapter is long and KICK-BUTT HADDOCK CLAN, PEOPLE! Man, and this scene isn't even finished!**

**Drago, you ruin everything!**

**Double update today as I won't be able to update next week. Until then, you guys have two more weeks to vote in regards to my _ROTBTD _story. Poll's over on my profile. Happy reading and writing and I'll see you in a couple of weeks, guys!**


	18. Astrid Confronts Drago

**Astrid Confronts Drago**

Astrid circled the battlefield in a horrified stupor. The corpse of the benevolent Bewilderbeast that had guarded Valka's Nest lay half buried in snow below her as Drago's darker…far more powerful…Bewilderbeast stood surrounded by the dragons now under its command.

"No…" she whimpered quietly, barely noticing the others fly up alongside her. Eret was the first to speak after a few moments of horrified silence.

"I never knew…I never knew he had his own Ice Spitter…" he murmured in terror. "So _that's_ how he's kept all of the dragons under his control…"

"Hold up…" Snotlout cut in, quieter and more nervously than usual. "If that…thing…controls the dragons…"

"How comes _ours_ aren't doing anything?" Fishlegs finished. Astrid suddenly noticed that the guys had a point – the dragons which had riders were not flying towards the dark Bewilderbeast. They twitched their heads from time to time but other than that, they seemed to be able to stay away from the rest of the flock of dragons. Now that Astrid thought about it, a similar thing had happened back during the battle with the Red Death – the dragons had been able to resist the hypnotic call of the Queen of the Helheim's Gate Nest. The first time Astrid and Hiccup had been, Toothless had succumbed to the calls but that had been more of a navigation thing…she wasn't entirely sure but perhaps having Riders meant that the dragons could resist the call of an alpha figure more so than wild dragons – they had another place where their loyalty lay.

At least, that was what she theorised and hoped.

Valka flew past in as much of a terrified trance as the Riders of Berk, barely noticing everything else beneath her as she was instead transfixed on the dark Bewilderbeast. Meanwhile, on the ground below, the brawl between Stoick and Drago had ground to a halt as Drago revelled in his side's victory – they had taken the nest and the dragons living there. There was only one more thing left to take care of there…and she was still circling the skies.

"Now…FINISH HER!" Drago bellowed, pointing his bull-staff in Valka's direction. Stoick started as the Bewilderbeast turned its attention towards Cloudjumper and roared ferociously, letting out a gush of icy breath. Stoick could see the danger his wife was in, as did everyone else.

"NO!" Stoick yelled, racing towards Skullcrusher as the Bewilderbeast inhaled. Valka snapped out of her stupor and began flying as far away from the gargantuan creature as she could. Astrid shrieked at Hiccup to help his mother and without a second thought he broke off from the group to try and help. Astrid began circling back down to ground level as Stoick jumped onto Skullcrusher's back, passing Gobber as he went.

"Skullcrusher, go!" Stoick instructed urgently. Skullcrusher obeyed without hesitation and shot into the air. "Come on, Gobber!" Stoick called over his shoulder as his still ground-based friend.

"Right behind ya, Stoick!" Gobber replied. Hiccup was already on his way towards Valka, Stormfly being the faster dragon out of her and Skullcrusher, but he was forced to dive as the Bewilderbeast shot out a blast of icy breath.

"Mom! Watch out!" he warned but Valka wasn't able to react fast enough. Cloudjumper managed to avoid the brunt of the ice but his tail became caught…and of course, if the wings or the tail were disabled, a dragon could no longer fly. The words that Gobber had told the gang all those years ago ran out in everyone's mind: _A downed dragon is a dead dragon_…

And along with them, a downed Dragon Rider was a dead Dragon Rider.

Cloudjumper spiralled towards the mountain side, his erratic flight throwing Valka off balance. For a while she was able to grip onto her dragon's back but even the most vice-like of holds wouldn't have been able to keep a hold on a bare-backed dragon which could barely fly. Valka lost her grip and began to fall, crying for help as she did so. This time, Stoick was closer than his son and leapt off Skullcrusher's back with all the strength he could muster as Hiccup spiralled back to distract the Bewilderbeast. Stoick caught his wife mid-jump and the pair slammed into the icy side of the mountain, sliding down the steep slope. Stoick used his axe to slow their fall and once they'd reached a ledge, they ducked behind a wall of ice as the Bewilderbeast began sniffing them out.

"OI!" Hiccup yelled as Stormfly set of a stream of fire at the giant dragon's neck. "Leave them alone!" The Bewilderbeast took about as much notice of the Deadly Nadder-Viking duo as a yak would a fly. On the ground, Drago watched in dark amusement.

"_That_ is the son of the great Stoick the Vast?" he scoffed. "The shame he must feel…" he remarked mockingly. A sharp shout caught his attention, taking it momentarily away from the Bewilderbeast and the Haddock family.

"Why don't you buck up and say that to his face?!" the shrill voice snapped. Turning around, Drago smirked as he saw a Night Fury land, sporting a red prosthetic tail fin and carrying a young woman with a slender build. It was Toothless and Astrid, merely a few paces away from the man they'd been searching for over the last few days. Dismounting her dragon, Astrid brazenly removed her helmet and tossed it to the ground, her Nordic Blonde hair framing her face wildly as her eyes blazed furiously. It was apparent she was seething but Drago was hardly intimidated by someone who was a twig in comparison to his mountain of a build.

"And this…" he chuckled darkly. "_This_ is the great Dragon Master?" Astrid momentarily sagged.

"How many times do I have to tell people? It's Dragon _Trainer_!" she protested but Drago ignored her.

"The Heir to the Shamed Hofferson Clan," he continued. Astrid bristled and her face twisted into a snarl. Did he have to? Did he _really_ have to play that card? "You make a good match for that Horrendous Haddock boy," Drago finished with a cruel smirk. Astrid felt her blood boiling but she couldn't let her anger get the better of her – she was less confident that she could convince Drago on her views about dragons than she was before, but she still had to try.

"All this loss and for what?!" she cried angrily, throwing her arm outwards to indicate the battlefield, strewn with dragons and men alike. "To become unstoppable? To rule the world?" she guessed. They were typical motives, ones that she'd encountered with those who'd wanted to control the dragons before. Astrid hated it when people planned to use dragons in such a way…they weren't creatures to be controlled but tamed! Lived alongside… Drago simply smirked at Astrid's speech and turned away from her. If there was one other thing Astrid disliked intensely, it was people not looking at her when she was trying to speak.

"Look, dragons are kind, intelligent, gentle…_amazing_ creatures…" she explained, softening her voice slightly as she indicated Toothless behind her. "…who can bring people together," she added. That caught Drago's attention and he turned back to face Astrid. Now that his cloak of dragon skin was gone, the young woman could see the metal arm…the arm which Drago lifted his other hand to, unhooking it from his shoulder to reveal nothing more than a heavily scarred stump.

"Or tear them apart," he corrected with a mocking laugh. Astrid shuddered despite herself – she was used to seeing the stump left of her own leg whenever she needed to remove her prosthetic but this…for some reason it made her sick in the stomach. Subconsciously, her gaze flickered to her own left leg – Drago noticed. "I see you shared a similar fate."

"This wasn't…" Astrid began to protest but she trailed off, unable to truly argue against Drago's comment. Toothless grumbled apologetically behind her, causing her to lose concentration for a moment, giving Drago a chance to approach.

"You see, I know what it's like to live in fear," he explained darkly as he reattached his arm and began circling Astrid menacingly. She set her jaw into a defensive scowl as the man got too close for comfort. "To see my village burned…my family taken." Astrid felt a pang of realisation in her heart – she shared the same past…the same experiences…as the man before her. Until five years ago, seeing the village burned was almost a nightly occurrence. Astrid had seen firsthand Valka be carried away by Cloudjumper that fateful night fifteen years ago…and the year before that had even seen her own family…

Astrid suddenly winced as a long suppressed memory forced its way to the forefront of her mind. There were fires everywhere…the roars of dragons…and the desperate screams of a young girl.

/\

_"__Astrid! Stay inside!" Elgar Hofferson snapped as his daughter ducked away from another stray fireball. Astrid ran over and clutched her father's tunic, unwilling to let go._

_"__But they're aiming for the houses!" she cried in protest. "Let me stay with you! I want to fight!"_

_"__This isn't your fight, Astrid!" Elgar argued. "Not yet, anyway…" Astrid froze and found her grip loosening…her uncle had said those same words to her not too long ago…perhaps a week at most. Those words had been some of the last he'd said to her and the sound of them made her stomach sink._

_"__Please, Dad…" she pleaded. Another fireball sent her shrieking involuntarily and she tore away from her father to grab the nearest weapon she could find – a hatchet. Not as heavy, big or powerful as an axe, but it was small and just about light enough for her to use. Ignoring her father's protests, Astrid ran to the outskirts of the village, desperate to find a dragon…she had a chance…if she, the heir to the Hofferson Clan, could prove that she could fight a dragon even at such a young age…she could restore their honour. She could find the strength to someday avenge her uncle when the Flightmare returned…_

_She wouldn't have to marry Hiccup to remove the shame of having the Hofferson name._

_"__Come on!" she yelled into the skies. "Come and get me, you…!"_

_But any obscenity that the young girl was going to scream into the air was cut short by the anguished pains back in the village. Astrid recognised the scream, although she'd never heard it before…those were the screams of her father…her mother…Elgar and Helga Hofferson._

_"__MOM! DAD!" Astrid shrieked, dropping the hatchet and racing as fast as her twiggy legs could carry her back to the main village…everything seemed so disjointed…she only saw spurts of light and shadow…she could only make out fuzzy shapes…nothing was clear…_

_Except the sight of the burning torch falling to the ground in the square, knocked over by an unknown species of dragon…_

_Astrid didn't even realise it was her voice screaming as her parents did not move in time._

/\

"Ughn!" Astrid winced, her heart wrenching and her stomach twisting as the sight of her parents' deaths threatened to preoccupy her…no….she couldn't think about it…not now… Drago was still talking, either having not taken notice or simply choosing to ignore Astrid's brief second of blanking out.

"But even as a boy left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons and liberate the people of this world," he finished, standing a few feet away and admiring the sight before him. Astrid fully grasped how much alike she and Drago actually were: they'd both lost their families and homes to dragons. Both had lost a part of their physical selves to the reptiles as well. Both had chosen to make a stand and eradicate the fear of dragons… But at the same time, they were so different: Astrid had found a new family and a new home. She'd accepted the loss of her left leg and it never hindered her – in a sense, she'd regained her leg. And she'd chosen the path of peace with the dragons – Drago had opted to use them as weapons of war. She couldn't understand it, though.

"Then why a dragon army?" she asked, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Drago looked at her again with a smug grin on his face.

"Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons," he pointed out. Astrid couldn't stop a snarl escaping her lips.

"Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people," she hissed. If protecting people from dragons was Drago's true goal, he would have used the Bewilderbeast to keep them away from human settlements, much like Valka. His actions, Astrid knew, showed his real motives. "To control those who follow you…" she continued, pausing slightly as she refrained from lashing out. "…and to get rid of those who won't."

Drago nodded and grabbed his bull-staff again. He was admittedly impressed with the girl's deduction but he was far from swayed from his goals. She was young, after all, compared to his age and experience.

"Clever girl," he smirked mockingly. Toothless bristled as the man began re-approaching Astrid.

"The world wants peace," Astrid begged. "And we have the answer back on Berk," she added, stretching a hand backwards towards Toothless. If only she could…if she could just… "Just let me show…"

"NO!" Drago interrupted, tired of the girl's wittering. Astrid staggered backwards, startled by the sudden outburst. Her anger was instantly replaced by terror and her eyes flew wide open, seemingly taking up most of her face. "Let _me_ show _you_!" Drago snarled before lifting his bull-staff above his head. He suddenly started shrieking wildly, whirling the staff around his head as he summoned the dark Bewilderbeast to his side. Astrid was frozen in terror, too scared to leap onto Toothless' back and fly to safety. Toothless instead darted over to his rider and best friend and circled her protectively.

By the mountain, the Bewilderbeast was just about to send an icy blast after Hiccup and Stormfly who were still trying to distract it from Stoick and Valka long enough for them to get to safety. The distant cries of Drago, however, made everyone pause as the giant began approaching obediently. Hiccup brought Stormfly to a halt and scanned the ground for the commotion.

"What…?" he mumbled. Stormfly suddenly screeched and flapped her wings urgently – Hiccup cried out in horror as he saw Astrid and Toothless merely a few paces from Drago. Stoick and Valka spotted them as well.

"Astrid!" Stoick cried. Hiccup lead Stormfly straight into a dive, flying with all due haste towards his fiancée and her dragon. On the ground, Stoick and Valka were running as fast they humanely could, nearly bashing past a very winded Gobber on the way (he'd just finished _climbing_ the mountain!).

"Come on, Gobber!" Stoick called. Pausing for a moment, Gobber shrugged and turned around.

"Okay, change of plans," he remarked dryly.

Back with Drago and Astrid, the madman now had the Bewilderbeast at his side. He jabbed the ground commandingly with his staff, causing the giant to flinch submissively. Drago then raised his staff and pointed it at the Bewilderbeast.

"No dragon can resist the Alpha's command," he growled. "So he who controls the Alpha…" he paused, pointing the staff at Astrid before pointing it at Toothless. Astrid stiffened and kept glancing between the parties, terrified to the point of silence. "…controls them all."

The Bewilderbeast began hissing loudly as it stared intently at Toothless. Even Astrid flinched upon hearing it but her reaction was nothing compared to her best friend's. As soon as he made eye contact with the Bewilderbeast, Toothless began twitching and thrashing wildly, scrunching his eyes shut and hunching his shoulders almost all the way up to his ears. Astrid tried to approach him to calm him down but Toothless' movements were so abrupt and random that she couldn't get close enough.

"Toothless? You okay, pal?" she asked worriedly. Toothless growled and yelped a few times, writhing his head against the icy ground. "What's going on?!" Toothless kept fighting whatever the Bewilderbeast was putting him through…resisting the command of the titan for as long as he was able. With each passing moment, the Bewilderbeast appeared to become more insistent, its hissing intensifying and a low throaty grumble emanating from its throat.

"Witness true strength," Drago growled softly. "The strength of will over others."

Astrid froze when Toothless' wild thrashing suddenly ceased and he raised his head. Something didn't seem right – his movements seemed almost robotic and emotionless. His face was blank and his bright green eyes almost had no visible pupils within them…they'd turned into slits. Astrid began trembling in terror – she'd only seen a blank, feral look on Toothless' face once before and it had made her nervous…this was something else entirely.

"In the face of it…" Drago snarled before pointing his staff back in Astrid's direction. Instinctively, Astrid backed off a couple of steps but her heart began racing as the Bewilderbeast grumbled slightly. "…_you_ are _nothing_."

Toothless slowly turned around to face Astrid and she came face to face with that blank, feral look on his face. The Night Fury didn't appear to register Astrid's presence the way he usually did and began advancing. On instinct, Astrid backed away, slowly getting closer to a wall of ice.

"Uh…Toothless, what did he just tell you?" she whispered fearfully.

Across the battlefield, Stoick was bounding across the ice, pushing himself with every ounce of strength that he had in order to reach Astrid on time. He could just about see what was going on in the rush of the wind against his face – his foster daughter…no, his future daughter-in-law's dragon had been turned against her. Stoick recognised that prowl and could feel the killer instinct from across the ice – he'd felt it that day Astrid was supposed to take her Final Exam in Dragon Training five years ago. Toothless had almost killed him but Astrid had just stopped him…now he was about to kill her.

Meanwhile, in the air, Hiccup was pushing Stormfly with everything he could muster. He was pushing the Nadder's speed and against the nets and the arrows still being fired by the rest of Drago's men below, he couldn't get a straight line directly to Astrid. He had to get her out of danger…he had to…

Back with Astrid, she was still backing away from her dragon who didn't seem to even recognise her. Drago looked on as if he was watching a spectacle at a show whilst the Bewilderbeast made sure that its new crony did its job. It wasn't going to release Toothless until that shot had been fired – Astrid refused to believe it…this was her friend! He would never hurt her!

"Toothless? What's the matter with you?! What're you doing?!" she cried, her voice becoming increasingly desperate. Unbeknownst to her, Toothless could no longer see her clearly. To him, the world had changed into one of livid shadows and swirls of red. The young woman's pleas fell on deaf ears as they echoed meaninglessly in his skull.

"Stop!" Astrid pleaded, trying to go for a stern approach but failing miserably as her fear penetrated every single syllable that she uttered. Her voice was cracking with terrified sobs as she begged for her life. "Snap out of it!"

Toothless continued his advance, opening his mouth ominously to reveal a build up of gas, glowing bright blue-purple-white in the back of his throat.

"Astrid!" Hiccup cried from the air, catching the attention of the Bewilderbeast and Drago for a split second. Roaring angrily, the Bewilderbeast screeched in Stormfly's face, confusing her and sending her tumbling off course. Astrid cried out in terror as she saw Hiccup fall from the sky and as she did she fell over a broken icicle, left over from the Bewilderbeasts' battle earlier. Meanwhile, Stoick was barrelling across the formations of ice and remnants of war machines, racing against time itself to reach Astrid. Using his axe, he cut down a mast to make himself a bridge, giving himself a clear path to the Nordic Blonde.

Astrid scrambled against the wall of ice behind her, her eyes flashing in terror. Toothless continued to advanced mindlessly towards her…there was nowhere left to run.

"Toothless! Please, no!" Astrid wailed. "Toothless, don't!"

Hiccup barely recovered from the tumble and began making the rest of the dash to Astrid on foot, forgetting Stormfly in the chaos. He screamed Astrid's name as if the world would end, terrified at what he would see when he rounded the walls creating the maze of ice that stood between him and her.

Stoick took no notice of anything happening around him as he made a beeline for Astrid. He was so close he could hear the hiss of gas in Toothless' throat.

"ASTRID!" he bellowed.

"HANG ON!" Hiccup yelled at the top of his lungs. Astrid looked up for a split second in prayer, hoping that she would wake from this nightmare…that she had just fallen asleep in the Ice Cave during dinner…she would wake up and she, Hiccup, Stoick and Gobber would take Valka back to Berk with all of her dragons. As she scrambled as far back against the wall of ice as she could a splinter of ice cutting her palm told her: no. She wasn't dreaming. This was all too real.

Her best friend was about to kill her.

"STOP!" Astrid shrieked in a terrified plea for her life as Toothless' trademark banshee-like screech began to sound. The gas was about to ignite.

"ASTRID!" Stoick cried again. This time, Astrid noticed him as he drew closer and closer. One of her arms was held out defensively towards Toothless as she shakily got to her feet and upon seeing Stoick, she threw the other one out towards him. No…he couldn't do this…Toothless was going to fire…Stoick was going to…

No. Astrid wouldn't allow it. She was _not_ going to let Hiccup lose another parent because of her.

"STOICK! NO!" she screeched just as a loud bang sounded and a flash of blue-white filled the area. Astrid blacked out as something rammed into her side and she was flung against a block of fallen ice. A small distance away, Valka stumbled to a momentary halt as she heard the explosion. She gasped in horror before running forward, scared beyond straight of what sight would greet her.

"No…" she whispered pleadingly.

/\

Everything seemed to flicker in and out of focus. Astrid's head was ringing and nothing filled her vision except black spots against a backdrop of blue-white. Something had just blown her backwards into the ice…Toothless had fired a plasma blast straight at her. Was she…was she dead? Is this what death felt like? Pushing herself upwards, Astrid panted heavily as the blood rushed to and from her head like a raging tide – her head began splitting. Death was supposed to be painless, right? Bringing a hand to her head, Astrid tasted blood…her palm that had been cut open by that splinter of ice… Death was supposed to heal bodily wounds, right?

Still stunned and dazed, Astrid shook her head clear and things began coming back into focus. Checking herself, Astrid was stunned to see that apart from the cut in her hand, she was unscathed…that shouldn't be the case after being hit by a Night Fury's fireball. Her hair was coming loose of its braid and falling tangled over her shoulders like a matted waterfall as the cold air and snow froze the separate strands together. She was under a single piece of ice, blown off the large block she'd been backed up against. It wasn't enough to crush her – in fact, it was light enough for her to push off easily enough. Pushing herself onto her hands and knees, Astrid's vision finally cleared.

Glancing to her right, she could see Drago nodding in satisfaction before shuffling away. He looked pleased…why would he be? Didn't he want her dead? Astrid was sure that tasting fresh blood and having a splitting headache was a sure sign you were still alive. Looking left, Astrid forgot the pain in her head as her heart stopped beating. It hadn't been Toothless' fireball that had thrown her several metres across the floor. It had been someone pushing her out of the way of the fatal blast. That someone now lay motionless under a pile of ice boulders having absorbed the full power of the blast. The ice had cracked under the force of that someone being thrown against it so ferociously. That someone's helmet now lay merely a few feet away from a hand that lay limp on the icy floor.

That someone was Stoick the Vast.

* * *

**Ummm...**

**So...**

**Yeah...I'll just...let myself out...**

**...**

**I'M SORRY!**


	19. Torn Asunder

**Torn Asunder:**

Astrid fell backwards onto her hands, ignoring the stinging pain that shot through her hand as the icy ground came into contact with her bleeding palm. Stoick the Vast…Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk…her foster father after her parents had died…her future father-in-law…was lying motionless in the spot where she'd just been standing as Toothless had fired that plasma blast. Glancing away from the mountain of a man under the icy rubble, Astrid's heartbroken and horrified gaze fell on Toothless, still entranced from the Bewilderbeast's hypnotic call and hissing as leftover gas spilled through his teeth.

No…he couldn't have done…he _wouldn't_ have…

Stumbling shakily to her feet, Astrid staggered around for a moment, stunned into a terrified silence at the sight she beheld. Tears were already streaking down her cheeks as she raced past Toothless, who didn't so much as acknowledge her, towards the still body of Stoick the Vast.

"STOICK!" Astrid screamed, throwing herself to her knees and beginning to pull the ice boulders away from the man. His tunic and cloak were singed and there was a smell that Astrid recognised with a twisting stomach…no, not this smell again…no! He couldn't be! She wouldn't allow him to be! "STOICK! GET UP! PLEASE!" Astrid pleaded, her voice punctuated with desperate wails as her hair fell over her face wildly, dampened from the snow and stained by her tears. At that moment, Valka arrived, winded from running and aghast at the sight before her.

"Stoick!" she cried, horrified at what she saw. She ran over and with Astrid's help turned Stoick onto his back. Astrid knelt by the man's head, slapping his cheeks as hard as she dared with her uninjured hand in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"Stoick, come on! Get up, already! You can't be…!" she snapped over and over until she looked over at Valka. The woman's head was resting against her husband's chest, her ear pressed to his heart. Astrid fell silent with her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted, unwilling to accept what both women knew to be true.

Valka confirmed that Stoick was never waking up without even saying a word.

"No…" Astrid gulped. "No…he can't…" She looked at Stoick's face once again. The face was etched with a pained determination…a determination to save one who wasn't even his own flesh and blood… Not for the first time, Astrid felt her heart wrench with guilt. The next few moments only made it worse.

"Astrid!" a voice shouted. Astrid looked over her shoulder to see Hiccup rounding a nearby wall of ice, panting and dishevelled. He would have heard the blast…he had yet to find out who it had hit. "Gods, Astrid, please tell me you're oka…" Hiccup began before he stumbled to a halt. Astrid tore her stormy gaze away from his emerald-green one. But she didn't even need to see his face.

"DAD!"

With an anguished scream, Hiccup ran forward and threw himself at his father. Shouting his father's name over and over and repeating orders for him to open his eyes and get up, Hiccup slammed his fists against Stoick's chest and shook him with every ounce of strength he had hidden in his slender frame. As he did so, Astrid fell away from the young man and the woman kneeling over their lost loved one, weeping in ways no one thought possible of a Viking. Hiccup's pained sobs rang through the mazes of ice dotting the battlefield and his cries pierced Astrid like a blunt knife, twisting its way through her stomach just enough for her to feel excruciating pain but not enough to kill her.

Astrid didn't notice the arrival of the other Riders behind her. She didn't notice Tuffnut placing his hands behind his head in disbelief and mouthing a denial. She didn't notice Ruffnut placing her hands over her mouth in a weak attempt to cover her horror. She didn't notice the horrified faces of Snotlout and Fishlegs as they neared the scene. She didn't notice Eret's wide eyed disbelief at the sight that had greeted him upon landing.

All she could see was Hiccup. Not the Hiccup in front of her but Hiccup when he was five years old. Hiccup the night that Valka had been carried away from Berk by a strange dragon that had otherwise shown them no animosity. All Astrid could see was the boy's pained scowl whenever he looked at her…the blame she felt coming from him directed at her. All Astrid could hear were bitter, angry screams of "_You don't understand anything!_" as she tried to console him.

Astrid wanted to look away but couldn't bring herself to. She saw Stoick lying lifeless on the icy ground and it felt like her heart had been torn from her chest in shreds. _Stoick shouldn't be the one lying there_, she thought. _That blast was meant for me…_

_Why did he take it for me?_

_I'm not even his._

_It's just like before._

_Hiccup's lost someone else…_

_Because of me_.

Nearby, the Bewilderbeast finally turned away, satisfied that its crony had done his job. As it turned towards the bay, calling the wild dragons to it, its hold over Toothless was finally released. The Night Fury blinked a few times, coming to and examining the sight before him. What was going on? Why was everyone crying? What was Stoick doing lying on the ground? Toothless knew instantly that something was terribly wrong…what had happened? He could remember fighting something that wasn't tangible. The Bewilderbeast…it had wanted him to do something…what was it? He couldn't remember. He could remember that he'd disagreed and that he'd fought back.

Approaching the group cautiously, Toothless recognised the scent left behind by his own fire. Every dragon knew the smell of their own fire…Toothless knew that whatever had happened…somehow he'd been responsible. Creeping over gently to Stoick, Toothless cooed gently and sniffed his hand – there was no scent of life there. The man's life spirit had left him. Toothless crooned sorrowfully and nuzzled Stoick's lifeless hand as if in apology. Hiccup noticed the Night Fury and through his tears moved a trembling hand to place a hand on the dragon's nose…

Except another hand sharply slapped Toothless away.

"No! Get away from him!" Astrid snapped angrily, in a tone that heavily implied a betrayal. Toothless recoiled from the action from his best friend and innocently growled, his eyes wide in confusion. Why was his human pushing him away like this? He'd never seen her this way before.

"Wh…what?" Hiccup mumbled in shock, his gaze flickering between his lifeless father and the Night Fury that was shrinking in on himself, wracked with guilt he didn't know the reason for feeling. No…there was no way that Toothless would have…

"Go on! Get out of here!" Astrid snarled, her eyes flashing in upset as she drew herself to her full five-foot-nine height, towering over the cowering Toothless as he retreated like a scolded puppy with his ears pressed flat against his hanging head. Toothless tried once again to console his best friend but she was having none of it. "GET AWAY!" Astrid shrieked, flinging her arms towards Toothless who finally scampered away, whimpering in a confused sorrow.

Her angry upset spent, Astrid collapsed to her knees once again and broke into fresh sobs. Why had she done that? Everyone could only stare in sympathy at the heartbroken Nordic Blonde – people had seen her angry before. People had seen her upset before. But no one had ever expected Astrid to behave this way towards Toothless of all things.

"It's not his fault, you know that," Valka murmured, her voice punctuated with tears. Astrid gulped as a fresh wave of sobs erupted from her throat – yes, she knew that. She'd seen the Bewilderbeast take control of Toothless. She had seen that he wasn't himself. She knew that he wasn't trying to kill her out of his own free will. Self-hatred now joined the guilt, anger and upset that was tearing Astrid in two as the Bewilderbeast let out a thunderous bellow, summoning the dragons to his side. This time, the call was strong enough to entrance the Riders' dragons: Meatlug, Stormfly, Hookfang and the others all turned towards the dark grey titan with slits for pupils in their eyes and expressionless faces before flying towards the Bewilderbeast whilst their riders could do nothing except watch in shock horror.

"Good dragons under the control of bad people…" Valka continued, her voice breaking in sorrow. "…will do bad things."

A short distance away, Drago watched in satisfaction as the remainder of the dragons flocked to his Bewilderbeast's side. He felt no need to bother with the rest of the Riders. Let them freeze out in this barren wasteland. They had no way of reaching home in time to prevent what he had planned for Berk. He began walking back towards the ships – they had a long journey ahead of them…until his attention was caught by a frustrated growl. Turning around, Drago spotted Toothless, once again entranced by the Bewilderbeast's call, fall down a snow-bank. The Night Fury was following the call of the Alpha but was unable to fly without a rider. Smirking, Drago sauntered over and pinned Toothless to the ground, eyeing the saddle and prosthetic tail attached to it.

Astrid was inconsolable. Every movement made in an attempt to comfort her was met with a sudden flinch as she curled further and further into herself. She couldn't even hear herself sobbing…the tears were now drying up but her throat still throbbed with a lump of despair stuck inside, preventing her from crying out in further anguish. A yell snapped Astrid out of her stupor.

"Gather the men and meet me at Berk!" Drago bellowed from Toothless' back, clumsily leading him into the air. His cries were met by the triumphant shouts and cheers of soldiers in their thousands but Astrid could only feel her blood boil in her veins. In a moment, all of her anger towards her best friend vanished…the betrayal she felt clawing at her chest dissipated to be replaced by anger and desperation. No one…_no one_ rode Toothless without her express permission…Drago had no right to sit in that saddle…to control that tail fin…

"TOOTHLESS!" Astrid shrieked, scrambling to her feet and making a break after her dragon...her best friend. She stumbled as arms were thrown around her, holding her back. "NO! LET ME GO!"

"Astrid…don't!" Hiccup pleaded, tears staining his freckled face and his eyes bloodshot from crying.

"TOOTHLESS!" Astrid screeched into the nether, her throat giving out on her as Drago jabbed his bull-staff towards the horizon. In response, the Alpha Bewilderbeast bellowed horrifically as if commanding an exodus as it began leading the way away from the Far North and towards the Barbaric Archipelago and Berk.

All the while, Astrid could only watch helplessly as she collapsed in Hiccup's arms, powerless as all the dragons she and her friends had worked so hard to protect took wing and followed under the command of their Alpha.

* * *

**I'M BACK!**

**Not going to lie, ****_I_**** felt like crying whilst writing this scene. Nothing else needs to be said, really except that I hope you guys are enjoying the story thus far.**

**Can't believe we're getting so close to the end of this thing...two and a half weeks left of this one in the update schedule as I write this! By the way, the poll for whether or not my ****_ROTBTD_**** story should be posted on this site is still going and will be up until I update this story on Friday next week. Head over to my profile to vote on the poll.**

**Happy reading and writing, guys, and I'll see you around.**


	20. Stoick's Ship

**Stoick's Ship**

Dusk had fallen by the time Stoick's body had been placed on a funeral pyre, shipped out on a battered ship left over from the now long-gone fleet into a lagoon still filled with broken icebergs. On the shore, bows and arrows had been collected, the arrows dipped in tar and a small fire set on the shore.

"May the Valkyries welcome you through Odin's great battlefield," Gobber recited as the team watched the ship containing the body of their beloved chief leave the shore. Astrid's face was framed by her matted and tangled hair and stained with tears, her eyes bloodshot from crying. Her heart panged with guilt...she felt responsible for this. She stood at one of end of a line next to Valka and the rest of the team, including Eret, as they held bows in hand. Hiccup stood next to Gobber at the shoreline, gazing after his father's funeral ship in sorrow. Stoick had never been able to see him become chief...get married...have a family...

"May they sing your name with love and fury so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla," Gobber continued. Astrid felt a new flood of tears down her cheeks and splash onto her leather armour. Her hand trembled as she gripped the bow, the other wrapped in a rough bandage. "I know that you have taken your rightful place at the table of kings. For a great man has fallen: a warrior. A chieftain. A father... A friend."

Gobber nodded at Hiccup who knocked an arrow to his bow and used a nearby fire to set the tip alight. Astrid watched sadly as the young man raised the bow, took aim and drew the string back to his chin. She couldn't stop a tiny sob escaping her lips. Hiccup heard it – slowly, he lowered the bow and walked over to Astrid. Taking her hand, Hiccup's gaze met her own as she flinched slightly – when Astrid's eyes met Hiccup's, she stifled a sob when she saw the stoic expression Hiccup always reverted to when he refused to cry. Yet she could still see it...the hurt...the sadness...

"Come on," he whispered. "Together." Astrid's eyes widened but Hiccup gently took her bow from her hand and instead curled it around his own before he led her to the shore line. Astrid gulped back the tears but couldn't stop them falling as she and Hiccup raised the bow together, knocking the flaming arrow and drawing the string back. Before they let the arrow loose, Astrid heard Hiccup whisper one last thing.

"Goodbye, Dad..."

A fresh waterfall of tears splashing down her cheeks, Astrid murmured a farewell of her own as it croaked out of her throat.

"Goodbye...Stoick..."

The arrow soared through the air and hit the boat, starting the fire. The rest of the people gathered lit their arrows and followed suit until the boat was a triumphant bonfire sailing into the dark fog Drago had left in his wake. Astrid didn't bother stopping the tears and she could hear the sobs rising in Hiccup's voice as he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he muttered. "You...you never got to see me become what you wanted me to be. The trouble was that I never understood what that was," he sighed. Astrid could see the tears starting to leak from his eyes – the man made no attempt to stop them. "All my life I felt that I had to live up to what you were – a strong and mighty warrior – and...in doing so, I lost sight of who I was...what you _really_ wanted from me."

"Hiccup..." Valka whispered gently, walking over to her son who took a few steps towards her as she brought him into a hug. Astrid hung back at the shore line – even though Hiccup had told her multiple times over the last few hours she wasn't to blame for this, she couldn't bring herself to approach him – even the fact that he'd allowed her to fire the first arrow with him hadn't been enough to console her. Instead, she remained gazing out at the burning ship that held the body of the man who had been the closest she'd had to a father for over half of her life.

"He never wanted me to be him," Hiccup realised. "He only wanted me to become the best man I could be..."

"He wanted you to be your _own_ chief," Valka confirmed, hugging her son close and letting him cry quietly into her shoulder. Astrid couldn't bring herself to look at the two remaining Haddocks. Instead, she stood watching the orange glow part the fog in front of them, her heart numb and her eyes no longer able to produce tears.

"Stoick..." she muttered, almost out of earshot. "I...I know no one wants me to say this...but this is my fault...I'm sorry." Everything seemed to halt in time as the others turned to look at the Nordic Blonde who was caught in her own moment. "I'm not a warrior like Hiccup or the rest of the Haddock clan...but I'm not the peacekeeper I thought I was..." she wept quietly. "I thought I could stop this war from happening...instead I started it...and we lost you." She paused for a moment. "What kind of High Protector is that? Who am I, Stoick, if I'm not the one who brings peace? I...I don't know..."

Astrid's voice trailed off when she felt Hiccup's hand on her shoulder. She made no move to pull away this time but instead turned her gaze to face him. She was still scared at what she might see – the last time Hiccup had lost a parent his face was twisted into a rage people thought impossible of a five-year-old. But this time, even now, all she saw was gentility...there was sorrow, true, but there was compassion. No words were spoken as Astrid wept into Hiccup's chest and he held her close, kissing her gently on the forehead. Valka walked over to them both and took Astrid by the hand.

"You know...both of you came early into this world," she explained. "You more so than Hiccup, Astrid," she added to the young woman. "I was there with your mother when you arrived. You were such a wee thing...so frail...fragile. You were smaller than my own son who was barely a week old and you were more delicate than he had been," she continued. "I was scared you weren't going to make it...but your parents never doubted."

"Really?" Astrid sniffed, wiping her tears away furiously.

"Your mother never wanted to call you 'Hiccup' to begin with, even though it might have been tradition to do so," Valka smiled.

"I thought I was called 'Astrid' because of Hiccup," Astrid frowned, remembering how her birthday was barely a week after Hiccup's and even though she was so small she wasn't given the first name of 'Hiccup' due to the chief's son already having that name. Instead, it was given as a secret middle name that only a few select people knew about.

"That and because your mother knew that you were more than that – you were _her_ divine beauty from the beginning," Valka explained. "And your father – he always said that you would grow to be one of the strongest of them all – the greatest of all the Hoffersons." She paused and turned to Hiccup. "Your father said most the same about you. He knew you were more than your name. He took one look at you and said that you would grow to be one of the greatest Vikings that Berk has ever seen." She smiled. "And all of them were right," she added, taking a hand of each of the two Vikings she knew as her children, even if one was adopted.

"Hiccup, you have the heart of a chief," Valka murmured proudly. "And the spirit of a warrior. Astrid, you have the courage of a Valkyrie and the soul of a dragon," she added. "Only you can bring our two worlds together. You may soon be part of the Haddock clan, but it is the blood of the Fearless Hoffersons that runs in your veins. _That_ is who you are."

Astrid knew what the woman meant – true, she might not have been the peacekeeper she'd spent the last five years believing she was but she was a fighter in her own right. She was the bridge between the worlds of Vikings and dragons. She could show people what they were like, given the right opportunity, and at the same time she would defend those closest to her until her dying breath if she needed to. She was a member of the Haddock clan through betrothal, but she was first and foremost a member of the Fearless Hofferson Clan.

"I...I was so scared of becoming just another member of the Haddock clan," she admitted, her gaze shifting to the orange glow on the horizon that was slowly dying away as the sun began to set. "Mostly...because I thought I never could," she added, breaking away from Valka and Hiccup. "How...how do you become someone that...brave?" she wondered, looking at her fiancé, the man who'd stood beside her in her fight to bring peace between men and dragons for five years at the risk of everything. "That...compassionate?" she added, looking at Valka, the woman who'd tried to pick her up whenever she'd felt low as a little girl. "That...selfless?" she finished, gazing out to sea in memory of the man who'd given his life to save hers even if she wasn't his own flesh and blood. "I guess you can only...try," she sighed. Hiccup took her hands in his and lifted her chin so that their eyes met.

"And you can succeed," he pointed out. "You're a part of our family, Astrid, as much as your own," he smiled softly. "Trust me, I am _never_ making the mistake of shutting you out again," he promised – Astrid felt a fresh wave of tears leave her eyes and Hiccup gently wiped them off her cheek with his thumb as he cradled her face in his hands. "And I wouldn't have it any other way when it comes to choosing the person to stand by my side in anything," he finished. Astrid's face broke into a slight smile as she hugged Hiccup tightly before briefly turning to face the burning ship in the haze of the fog.

"He would stop at nothing to protect Berk," she noted, her voice growing stronger and her hair falling out of her trademark plait, billowing powerfully around her face in the light sea breeze coming onto the shoreline. Hiccup let go of her and smiled proudly as Astrid drew herself to her full five-foot-nine height, although she somehow looked taller. "And neither will I," she said firmly. Hiccup's smile turned into an expression of determined agreement as he turned to face the others.

"A chief protects his own," he announced, mirroring his father's words. Astrid mentally added that so did the High Protector – she was ready to take on the role. "We're going back," he decided. Then Tuffnut had to ruin the moment.

"Uh...with what?" he asked with a dry glare.

"Yeah, he took all the dragons," Ruffnut added. Hiccup grimaced and Astrid winced – the twins had a point. Astrid rested her hand on her chin as her sharp mind raced for an idea.

"I don't know," Hiccup huffed. "We'll think of something..." he muttered when Astrid's face lit up beside him.

"Actually, I already have," she grinned. Hiccup saw the nature of the grin as Astrid's eyes twinkled mischievously...uh-oh.

"You know, I never know whether I should be pleased or worried when you say that," he grimaced as Astrid's mischievous grin widened and her storm-blue eyes glinted.

"Hiccup – Drago didn't take _all_ of the dragons," she pointed out. Hiccup sagged.

"Worried. Definitely worried."

/\

"EEEEEK!" Hiccup shrieked as his baby Scuttleclaw shot past towering walls of ice at breakneck speeds. Gods, what he wouldn't give to be back on Stormfly right now and judging by the screams of everyone else bar Astrid and Valka, the rest of the gang felt the same way.

"Astrid's right, Hiccup!" Valka called from the front of the group. Despite the situation she had a slight joking tone to her voice and it wasn't fair in the slightest that she was actually managing to keep her balance on that blasted baby Scuttleclaw of hers. "You _do_ still scream like a girl!" Hiccup clung onto the baby dragon with as much strength as he could muster as he shouted to Astrid.

"Astrid! I swear to Thor, I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled, trying to sound angry but he was so scared for his life that his voice broke, rather hilariously at that. If it weren't for the situation the team where currently in, the others might have burst out laughing and never let Hiccup live it down – they cut him some slack for this one. Astrid glanced over her shoulder and shot a dry glare at her fiancé.

"Not the first time I've heard you say that!" she shouted back. "Reminder that I'm not Fiddlesticks!" Hiccup would have shouted something back in retaliation but he was so focused on trying to stay upright that he couldn't really think of a decent comeback to a girl who might as well have nine lives considering the amount of times she'd cheated death over the years.

"WHOA!" Snotlout screeched just behind his cousin as he narrowly avoided crashing into a wall of ice.

"OW! I AM HURT!" Eret cried painfully as his dragon smashed into a ledge of ice jutting out from the main iceberg. "I AM VERY MUCH HURT!"

"FLY STRAIGHT!" Ruffnut yelped in terrified irritation.

"I don't wanna die!" Fishlegs cried a little further back. Just behind Astrid, Tuffnut brushed a dread-lock out of his face and quickly righted his helmet. This was anything but fun...

"We can't fly these things!" he snapped. Meanwhile, Fishlegs' dragon had just crashed into a snowdrift but somehow managed to keep flying considering it had a Thor-knows-how-heavy Viking on its back.

"Yeah, no kidding..." Fishlegs muttered before Eret yelped a little further back as a resulting snowball struck him in the face. By some miracle he was still clinging onto his hyperactive dragon...upside down. Hiccup was highly regretting listening to his fiancée's insane idea but under the circumstances the group had no other choice. Somehow he managed to catch up to Astrid at the front of the team.

"But...won't Drago's Bewilderbeast just take control of these guys, too?" he asked, barely able to keep his voice from going an octave higher than it should sound.

"They're babies!" Astrid huffed. She'd managed to find a position where she could keep her balance and just about control her own dragon – one hand on one of its neck-horns and the other on the side of its face seemed to work. "Didn't you listen to your mother?" she added snappishly.

"Oh, right," Hiccup remembered. "They don't listen to anyone," he noted, remembering what Valka had said. The Scuttleclaws were still at a stage where they were immune to the calls of the Alpha Dragon and so were among the only dragons that had remained in the Sanctuary.

"Yeah, just like us!" Tuffnut grinned in his usual mischievous way as he managed to regain his balance. Gobber, on the other hand, wasn't having as much luck.

"This...is...OOF!" he grunted as his dragon crashed into a wall. "Very dangerous!" he finished, catching up with Astrid and Valka at the head of the group.

"Whatever happened to 'Safety's overrated'?" Hiccup asked jokingly...well, he tried. His Scuttleclaw pulled of a manoeuvre that made him let out a high pitched shriek again. Gobber ignored him.

"Just saying that _some_ might suggest that this is poorly conceived!" Gobber added to Astrid, shooting her a glance. Astrid shot her mentor a cynical glare in return.

"Well, then, it's a good thing I never listen," she remarked, barrel-rolling out of the way just before she and her dragon became best friends with a towering column of ice. Gobber was still struggling to keep his dragon under control as he tried to keep pace with Astrid at the front of the group.

"So..." he began when a wall of ice came between him and Astrid "What exactly..." Another wall. "Is your..." Another wall. "...plan?"

"Get Toothless back and kick Drago's..." Astrid began but was cut off by another conveniently placed wall of ice.

"Heads up!" Gobber yelped. The group split to avoid a column of ice and reconvened seconds later, only to be met with a wall of ice that had a very narrow crack.

"And that thing," Astrid winced, barely making it through. A thud and a yelp told her that Gobber hadn't been so fortunate.

* * *

**Oh, my Odin...this time next week and we'll be finished with this thing! Heads up in regards to the ****_ROTBTD _****poll - you have until next Wednesday to vote.**

**Coming up to the climax! Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who's stuck by this story - the regular reveiwers (you know who you are!), followers old and new...you're all amazing! I'll see you next week when we arrive back on Berk and the second great battle commences.**

**Happy reading and writing and I'll see you guys later!**


	21. Toothless Found

**Toothless Found**

The night sky over Berk was its usual deep inky indigo colour, dotted with faint stars which didn't glow as brightly as usual in the early summer night. The sea was jet black, cold and harsh under the skies, unwelcoming and foreboding. Off the main island, where statues dedicated to great chiefs of generations passed were carved out of the rocky outcrops, the icy sea boiled furiously and a dark cloud began to block out the orange and pink sun-kissed sky just above the horizon.

From the foaming sea, something growled angrily from the depths, crashing into one of the statues and sending it crumbling into the fathoming depths. In the darkness, it wasn't yet possible to see what had caused the collapse of the statue but as the sea began foaming near the shores of Berk, a deep, entrancing hum echoes through the houses in the village. In the middle of the night, nearly every being in the village was slumbering peacefully, dragons and Vikings alike and none were to know what was about to descend upon the island which had been enjoying five years of peace.

In the Elder's Hut, high on its platform above the rest of the village, Gothi was sleeping deeply completely covered in her miniature flock of Terrible Terrors. A hypnotising hum resounded through the house and the tiny dragons shot upright, their pupils turning into slits against their yellow eyes – caught in the trance, the Terrors shot out of the door, waking Gothi up in the process. The mute old woman moaned as she rubbed her eyes awake, staggering over to her door to check what had caused the disturbance. What she saw as she stepped outside caused the quietest gasps of horror to escape her lips.

Back in the main village, Horak, the Viking who had ordered the saddle from Gobber's shop nearly a week ago, was pampering his Gronkle by the fire, treating him to a belly rub. While Gronkles didn't like having the spot under their chin being rubbed, contrary to most other species of dragon the Riders of Berk had discovered, they loved having their underbelly tickled and they would often act like dogs when they were able to receive this treatment, tongue hanging out and all.

"There's a good boy!" Horak chuckled light-heartedly as his dragon growled happily. Suddenly, without a warning of any kind, the dragon froze and jolted upright, his pupils turning into slits. His sudden movement sent Horak stumbling backwards as he began flying towards the door, knocking over a chair in the process. "Hey! What's up with you?!" Horak exclaimed. "Mind the furniture!" he added before his dragon finally found his way to the door. "Where're you goin'?!" Horak called worriedly, running to the doorway but freezing in terror at the sight that greeted him.

Throughout the village, dragons were flying away from their roosts seemingly in a trance as the villagers followed them in nervous confusion outside. The sight they beheld was one so terrifying they didn't even realise that they had stopped breathing.

Standing on the top of the cliff was a giant of a dragon, the size of which the Vikings of Berk hadn't seen since the Battle of Helheim's Gate. Except this one seemed to somehow be even more ominous than the Red Death, with a mane of spines flaring out behind its head and two tusks the size of three longboats protruding from either side of its mouth. Behind it, a swarm of dragons, made of species Berk knew of and ones it had never seen before, hovered like a dark storm cloud, blocking the stars. But the terror that was emitted from this gargantuan beast was only worsened by what the Vikings saw flying just in front of it.

Berk had only ever seen one Night Fury with a prosthetic left tail. But the person riding him wasn't Astrid, but a mountainous man with wild matted black hair and a metal left arm, holding a bull-staff in his right hand.

Stoick had never spoken much of the man who had killed an entire gathering of chiefs twenty years ago but he'd told his closest friends enough for some people to guess who this person was.

Drago Bludvist.

"Your chief is dead!" Drago bellowed to the gathering crowd of Vikings below. Gasps of horror and Stoick's name echoed through the crowd, unable to believe what they were hearing. Stoick the Vast...was dead? Drago sneered down at the now defenceless village as he raised his bull-staff. His Bewilderbeast followed his movements, waiting for the signal to strike. "No one can protect you now," Drago hissed.

To prove its master's point, the Bewilderbeast let out a deafening roar and set off a blast of ice, beginning its destruction of the village.

/\

It was dawn by the time the Riders of Berk, with Valka and Eret in tow, on their baby Scuttleclaws finally made it through the fog that had gathered over the ocean. Racing against time, they kept their eyes squinting on the horizon before collectively gasping at the sight of their home. Berk was covered in patches of spiky ice, most of the homes blown apart and destroyed by the explosions of frozen material. The Bewilderbeast was almost roosting at the top of the cliff by the village, surrounded by dragons, those that had belonged to Drago's army, Valka's nest...

...and Berk's.

"No...!" Astrid gasped. Behind her, Hiccup's fists clenched in fury.

"He took all the dragons!" Fishlegs exclaimed. Her eyes narrowing furiously, Astrid glanced over her shoulder at the others. She'd spent probably the last five minutes formulating a proper plan and it was now time to put it into action.

"Distract the Alpha!" she instructed, still fuming and her hair streaming behind her like a waterfall of sunshine. "Try to keep his attention off of Toothless," she added.

"Uh...how?" Tuffnut frowned. Astrid shot a glare at him.

"I DON'T KNOW! YOU THINK OF SOMETHING FOR ONCE!" she snapped, her voice going up an octave in anger.

"Have you forgotten who you're riding with?" Eret piped up smugly. All eyes fell on him as he brazenly aimed his Scuttleclaw towards Drago's Bewilderbeast. "There isn't a dragon alive I can't wrangle," he claimed proudly before his baby Scuttleclaw made a nosedive for the sea below. "AH! EXCEPT FOR THIS OOOOOONE!" he shrieked.

"Amateur," Snotlout snickered. Astrid couldn't help but smirk as they raced towards the Bewilderbeast. Just before they reached the shores of Berk, Astrid glanced at Hiccup and Valka.

"Valka, stick with the others," she ordered. "Hiccup – with me!"

The two Haddocks called out in confirmation of their orders and the group split just as they came into the eyesight of the Berkians. A Viking that was hiding behind one of the explosions of ice which had torn through a home spotted the group and shouted in delight.

"Look! It's Astrid!"

"And the others!" someone else added. So Astrid and her team were still alive. They were here to help. There were a couple of new people by the looks of it but as long as they were with Astrid, the villagers weren't complaining. The more help the better at this point. Drago spun around and nearly fell off Toothless' back when he saw the team.

"What?!" he spluttered. With an irritated huff, the Bewilderbeast began to focus on Astrid as she flew ever closer to Toothless when a sheep suddenly flashed into its sight. Blinking in confusion, the Bewilderbeast glanced down at the ground just in time to see Eret catching the sheep and tossing it to Valka, who in turn tossed it to Snotlout as he reloaded the launcher used for the Dragon Races. Tuffnut cocked the mechanism whilst Ruffnut manned the trigger.

"Keep 'em coming!" she called as Snotlout tossed the black sheep to Tuffnut. The Bewilderbeast was growing tired of this distraction and growled.

"Black sheep, baby!" Snotlout announced. The Bewilderbeast started to inhale, ready to blast the launcher and the Riders manning it to smithereens when a horn sounded, breaking its concentration. Seemingly frowning, the Bewilderbeast turned around to see where the noise was coming from only to find the horn unmanned. He returned his focus to the sheep launcher only to have the black sheep land on his face, bouncing down his facial spines and becoming lodged just above his mouth.

"Woo! Ten points!" Snotlout cheered but the moment of fun was ruined as the Bewilderbeast shook the black sheep loose and once again prepared to fire. "Uh-oh..."

The horn sounded again just as the Bewilderbeast was about to fire. Turning around again, the horn seemed to once again be unmanned – that was because Fishlegs was hiding just behind the platform. The young man giggled slightly but the Bewilderbeast still heard and roared angrily. Keeping its focus on the horn until Fishlegs showed his face, the Bewilderbeast finally let loose the ice blast, covering the horn in icy spikes. Luckily, Fishlegs jumped out of the way just in time.

"I'm okay!" he yelled. This time, thankfully, there was no "_Less okay_" following that statement. Good thing too – no one particularly wanted any more casualties around here.

By this time, Astrid had flown her baby Scuttleclaw so that she directly opposite Drago and a still-entranced Toothless. Taking multiple deep breaths, Astrid kept her attention on her best friend – she couldn't afford to let Drago distract her even for a minute if this was going to have any chance of working. Even Astrid knew that her chances were slim at best. She could very well be joining her late chief and foster-father in the afterlife for all she knew...but she had to try. This was the only chance she had of saving Berk...and saving Toothless.

"You certainly are hard to get rid of," Drago spat. "I'll give you that." Astrid blocked out his words and held out a cautionary but gentle hand towards Toothless.

"Toothless? It's me, pal – it's me...it's Astrid," she whispered gently, although with a nervous waver to her voice. Toothless' pupils remained slits, staring at her without seeing or recognising her. "I'm right here...come back to me, please..."

"Hah!" Drago snorted. "He's not _yours_ anymore, idiot girl! He belongs to the Alpha!" he claimed confidently, gesturing to the Bewilderbeast behind him who had finally turned his attention back to Toothless and Astrid. Drago sat smugly back in the saddle – Astrid felt her blood boil seeing him sitting there...in a place that was rightfully hers. He had no right to fill that saddle...to work the mechanisms she'd spent years perfecting. "But, please..._oh, Great Dragon Master_..." Drago continued mockingly, opening his arms in invitation. "Do try to take him back." His already beady eyes narrowed threateningly. This would be a treat – finally, the Night Fury under his command killing the Viking it once considered to be a friend. "He will not miss a second time."

Astrid gritted her teeth and held strong, refusing to budge as she stretched her hand out. She maintained eye contact with Toothless and edged ever closer on her Scuttleclaw.

"It wasn't your fault, pal..." she murmured. "They...made you do it...I don't blame you for what happened, Toothless...I know you'd never..."

Toothless suddenly stirred and Astrid felt her heart leap. She was getting to him! She was reaching him! Drago's amusement, on the other hand, faded as Toothless' pupils rapidly dilated and narrowed in quick succession as he battled the Bewilderbeast for control.

"You'd _never_ hurt Stoick...or any of us..." Astrid continued gently as her hand came into contact with Toothless' nose. There was no backing out of this now – Astrid knew she had to either succeed in this or be blasted to ashes by the building fireball in Toothless' throat. She was so close that Toothless could have been a Terrible Terror for all she knew and he would still get a fatal shot. But she knew he wouldn't...he couldn't...for the same reason she'd been unable to kill him all those years ago.

"You'd never hurt me," she whispered, tears of desperation starting to sting her eyes. Drago watched in stunned amazement as Toothless continued to battle the control of the Bewilderbeast.

"How are you doing that?" he asked, almost in a whisper of wonder. Astrid continued to block him out and by now tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and she'd gotten close enough to Toothless to hear the hiss of gas at the back of his throat as well as to place her cheek against his muzzle, so that his angry hisses and pleading, choking, sobbing growls filled her ears. It was more than enough to break her heart.

"I'm not leaving you, Toothless!" she promised, placing a hand on either side of Toothless' head as she maintained her balance on the Scuttleclaw. Her voice had raised in volume and was wracked with sobs as they rose in her throat. "I'm not letting you go!" The Bewilderbeast could sense its control being countered and growled loudly, trying to force Toothless into firing. But the Night Fury was battling with more strength than he had ever mustered before. He might not be able to see Astrid completely clearly through a murky red haze covering his vision...but her voice...her cries...her pleas...were echoing in his ears. They were disjointed but he _knew_ that voice...he _knew_ those cries. He'd spent five years growing accustomed to them as if they belonged to one of his own.

He couldn't..._wouldn't_...fire...

"Please!" Astrid nearly sobbed pleadingly, holding eye contact with her dragon. Hear that, Drago? _Her_ dragon. And she was going to get him back. "You're my best friend, pal..." She calmed herself down enough to lower her voice to a gentler level but tears still stung her eyes as she held the stare, unblinking. Below, the Bewilderbeast let out a ferocious and forceful commanding roar. Astrid held firm as Toothless squinted his eyes shut and flattened his ears against his head.

_Come on, pal...come on..._

"My best friend..." Astrid whispered as Toothless pupils began jittering. She backed off slightly to give him some room when her heart leapt out of her mouth in delight as the Night Fury's pupils dilated completely and he started cooing sympathetically. "Atta boy! That's it!" Astrid cried joyfully, the largest smile to ever grace Berk breaking across her face as the wind blew strands of now-loose hair over her cheeks. "I'm here!"

Toothless had finally broken free of the trance that the Bewilderbeast had held over him. He focused on his human's familiar face, cooing in relief, delight and apology as his trademark gummy smile greeted her. Astrid felt the tears but screw all raw Viking-ness! Let her have this moment. Drago, in the meantime, had gone from astounded to absolutely furious in alarm.

"NO!" he bellowed, striking Toothless with his bull-staff in a vain attempt to get him back under his control. In response, the Night Fury roared back in defiance and grabbed the bull-staff in his jaws but before he could pull, Astrid held up a gentle hand.

"Hold it, pal," she instructed, firmly but gently. Toothless waited patiently as Astrid's bright eyes, filled with lightning and thunder reminiscent of the storms they reminded people off, came into direct contact with Drago's. Her relieved smile had twisted into a defiant scowl.

"By the way, I bring a message from the Haddocks, _Bloody Fist_," she snarled. Drago's face twisted into a frown and without waiting for a response, Astrid continued...as soon as she'd glanced upwards to double check things. "On your left."

Drago barely had time to look over his left shoulder before a boot came into square contact with his face. As his balance was disrupted, Toothless yanked down on the bull-staff, causing the monster of a man to plummet towards the Bewilderbeast's back just as Hiccup shot past on his Scuttleclaw.

"THAT'S FOR MY FATHER!" the young man roared at Drago. Astrid crowed triumphantly and punched the air as Toothless tried to hover as much as he possibly could now that he was without a rider.

"Yeah! Alright!" Astrid yelled happily before Hiccup cast a glance over his shoulder.

"HONEY!" he shouted, half sarcastically. "Your dragon!" On cue, Toothless let out a screech as he began falling from the skies. Astrid didn't hesitate as she leapt from her Scuttleclaw and began freefalling after him, stretching her hand out towards the saddle. Meanwhile, Drago had landed heavily on the Bewilderbeast's tusk and had to shake himself to recover as Astrid and Toothless got closer and closer to the ocean below. Making herself as streamlined as possible, Astrid kept one arm stretched out, hoping she'd make it in time. Toothless growled at her again and she didn't need to understand Dragonese to understand what he was saying.

_Get a move on! Still falling here!_

"Hang on! Almost there, Toothless!" Astrid called, catching up as Toothless spread his wings slightly to slow his own fall. "Almost there...!"

She made it. Grabbing the saddle, Astrid pulled herself into her riding stance and locked her prosthetic leg into its proper position. Perfectly in sync, the tail fin snapped open, allowing Toothless and his rider to skyrocket away from the ocean by mere feet and past Drago as he hobbled to the top of the Bewilderbeast's head.

"No!" he roared, smacking his bull-staff against the Bewilderbeast's tusk in anger. "Do something!" Astrid glanced over her shoulder to look at her enemy, her face setting into a determined glare as her hair streamed out behind her like the tail of a comet. Hiccup tried catching up on his Scuttleclaw but the baby dragon wasn't exactly going anywhere fast compared with the twenty-year-old Night Fury.

"We've got to get those two apart," Astrid decided, flying Toothless past a flag pole and grabbing a scrap of the red material. The Bewilderbeast sent a blast in their direction but just about missed as they vanished around the side of a mountain. By the time, Hiccup had found a shortcut to intercept his fiancée and her dragon and had caught up...just.

"What now?" he called. Astrid cast an apologetic but firm look at her betrothed.

"We'll take this from here," she replied. "Stay out of trouble." Hiccup looked a bit dejected.

"But I want to help!" he protested. "You're _not_ doing this alone! Not again!" Astrid sent a pouting glare in his direction.

"Out of the two of us, which of us is a) flying a baby dragon with little to no control of itself and b) lacking in general firepower?" she pointed out. Hiccup glared dryly back at her. "Besides, I'm not alone," Astrid added with a smirk, indicating Toothless.

"Cheesy as all heck," Hiccup smirked back. "But I guess that's who I'm engaged to."

"I thought you liked cheese," Astrid snickered. "Look, I'll be fine! I'll be back as soon as I can!" she promised, banking Toothless away from Hiccup before he had the chance to give a reply. Regardless, Hiccup refused to land and stayed hovering in the skies a safe distance away from the Bewilderbeast's blast range. In the meantime, Astrid winced as Toothless began twitching due to the hypnotic calls of Drago's Bewilderbeast.

"We've gotta block him out, Toothless," she grimaced, holding the red material just above Toothless' eyes. The two dragons couldn't make eye contact – that seemed to be the strongest way of the Bewilderbeast gaining control over other dragons. "Do you trust me?" In reply, Toothless cooed nervously but in confirmation nonetheless, allowing Astrid to blindfold him. To keep him calm, Astrid placed a gentle hand on his forehead, to let him know that she was still there...she would be his eyes.

It was time to put their flying skills to the ultimate test.

"We can do this," she reassured. "You and me...as one."

With that audio cue, she splayed Toothless' prosthetic tail – in perfect synchronisation, Toothless moved his remaining natural tail fin to match. Happy and satisfied that the trust still existed between them, Astrid directed her friend back towards the Bewilderbeast. Time to finish this.

"That's it! Now, let's try this one more time!" she cried as they peeled around the other side of the mountain, passing the crowd of cheering Vikings on the ground. As they swooped past, Astrid just about heard Valka's screams above the rest.

"THAT'S MY FUTURE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!" the woman shrieked proudly. Astrid felt her heart soar at the shouts of encouragement as she hurtled towards the Bewilderbeast. In the skies, Hiccup watched in glowing pride as his fiancée headed towards the titanic beast. His eyes, already shining with the proud glow as they always did, gleamed in a triumphant confidence. If anyone could pull off whatever crazy stunt Astrid was planning now...it was her.

"Take 'em down, Babe," he encouraged softly but confidently. In the meantime, Drago was becoming increasingly infuriated at Astrid's flying with Toothless.

"Take control of it!" he ordered. In response, the Bewilderbeast's hypnotic hiss became a deafening roar in a desperate attempt to get Toothless back under its control. Toothless winced but Astrid clamped her hands over his ears to muffle the commands of the Alpha dragon.

"Shut it out, Toothless! You've got this!" she reassured. Toothless growled back in thanks as Drago pretty much finally lost whatever cool he had left.

"STOP THEM!" he bellowed. The Bewilderbeast sent a blast of ice straight towards Astrid and Toothless...which was exactly what Astrid had wanted it to do.

"NOW!" she shrieked, pulling Toothless upwards. The Night Fury responded simultaneously and arced straight over Drago's head. The man laughed victoriously, thinking he'd knocked Astrid off into the ice and away from attacking him but his laughter was cut short in shock as his gaze followed Toothless as he flew upwards away from the Bewilderbeast. As the dragon climbed through the sky, inverted, mind you, the blindfold Astrid had been using fell free away from his eyes...

Revealing an empty saddle as Toothless chortled playfully.

In confused chock, Drago whirled around, his beady eyes wide, just in time to see Astrid zooming towards him, wing-suit deployed and Inferno letting out a trail of Zippleback gas.

"Surprise!" Astrid jeered, mimicking Tuffnut's tone from the battle at the Ice Cave. Drago took a swipe at her with his bull-staff but with only a right arm and Astrid flying by his left side, he missed and instead was left coughing on the gas for a moment. Smirking, Astrid's thumb slammed down on the lighter to ignite the gas. The green cloud exploded into a plume of flames, blasting Drago off the Bewilderbeast with a terrified scream. Drago's fall was partially broken as he slammed against the Bewilderbeast's spines before he landed hard on the ground below, his bull-staff landing just out of reach.

"How'd you like _that_, Bloody Fist?" Astrid snickered. The Bewilderbeast, infuriated by the barrage of attacks it was receiving, swatted its tail in Astrid's direction. Astrid's head turned to look in front of her and instantly flashbacks shot across her vision.

The club-like tail of the Red Death heading her way as it exploded into flames beneath her...her losing control of Toothless' tail as the prosthetic fin burned away...the inevitable collision which would send her tumbling into the inferno below...

The rock formation emerging unexpectedly out of the clouds...her being unable to manoeuvre away in time...Toothless firing a plasma blast to prevent her from smashing her head against it...

The tower of snow and rock which had appeared when she'd lost concentration for a mere second...her covering her face as she nearly collided with it...

_Dear gods, not this time, please..._

"Not again..." Astrid groaned as the tail grew closer and closer. She shot a look at Toothless desperately – they only had one chance at this thing. "TOOTHLESS! IT'S NOW OR NEVER!" she shrieked.

Arcing skyward and flapping his wings for all he was worth, Toothless opening his dorsal fins in order to make the jack-knife turn he knew they were going to need. He met Astrid just as she was about to collide with the Bewilderbeast's tail and without hesitation, she slipped herself back into the saddle and slotted her left leg into place.

"Let's go, pal!" Astrid cried, her jaws grinding together in concentration as she and her best friend began speeding upwards along the tail. "We've got this! Hold on!"

This time, thanks to the dorsal fins allowing to increased aerodynamics, Toothless was able to shot past the tip of the tail, narrowly avoiding a last minute collision. Astrid punched the air in triumph and Toothless roared in celebration.

"YES!" she crowed. "We did it!"

"You got him!" a cheer came from nearby – as she began heading back down towards terra firma, Astrid made brief eye contact with a beaming Hiccup as he punched the air from atop his Scuttleclaw.

"See?" she smirked innocently. "I told you we had this." Hiccup just laughed breathlessly and shook his head with a smile stretched across his face. Now, now, he never said he didn't have faith in Astrid. He just had an innate knack for worrying about her. Back with Astrid, she landed Toothless on the ground a few paces away from Drago, kicking up a trail of dust as they did so. Okay, maybe not their smoothest landing but that was the least of Astrid's worries. Drago had regained consciousness and was reaching, warily, for his bull-staff.

Growling in defiance, Astrid felt her blood boiling as she once again laid eyes on the man responsible for tearing her world apart...ripping her family into a barely-repairable state...taking her best friend away from her. For an instant, Astrid saw red as her Berserker mode momentarily activated. Knowing she needed to calm herself down quickly before it got too out of control, Astrid grabbed Inferno and extended the blade, setting it alight as she did so. With a furious cry, she hurled the sword like a spear or javelin and it stuck in the ground between Drago and his bull-staff, singing his outstretched hand.

"Ah!" Drago yelped painfully. Astrid still felt her blood boiling and if she let herself lose control, she could have easily thrown herself into a full out wrestling match in an attempt to tear Drago's remaining limbs apart. Taking deep breaths and clenching and unclenching her fists, Astrid forced herself to calm down enough that she didn't break anything, although she could feel her nails digging into her palms.

"Hold him there, Toothless," she ordered. Toothless growled in keen confirmation and kept his angry glare fixed on the barbarian in front of him as Astrid sorted her flight-suit out. Astrid's stormy eyes were still flashing with thunder and lightning to rival that of Thor's and with the sun behind her, she could have easily been a Valkyrie or Shield Maiden of Asgard to anyone who didn't know otherwise. "It's all over now," she said with a tone of finality. However, behind her, the dust cleared, showing the furious face of the Bewilderbeast...ready to strike.

"Or is it?" Drago smirked knowingly. Astrid frowned and turned around as she felt a rush of wind go past her. Seeing the Bewilderbeast towering over her, Astrid's anger vanished to be replaced by sheer terror as she heard the rush of water building up in the giant's throat.

"Oh, no...!" she gasped, momentarily frozen in fear. Drago finally got to his feet and sneered at Astrid.

"You'd be surprised how far tales travel across the waves," he snickered. "Even that of a fearless man frozen in terror at the sight of a phantom." Astrid shot a horrified glance at Drago, her eyes wide in fear. He knew? "He'll be so happy the last of his line could join him."

Astrid finally got her legs to obey her and she tried running away from the inevitable. Instead, she stumbled over her own feet and tumbled to the ground as the Bewilderbeast sent a torrent of ice cold shards in her direction. Desperately, Astrid shielded her face, not seeing Toothless jump in front of her to shield her as the icy explosion engulfed them both.

* * *

**Spot the deleted line!**

**Can't believe we're nearly at the end of this project... And, yes – I needed to have Hiccup give Drago a piece of his own mind. It's all very well this being mainly Astrid's story but Drago ****_did_**** just have Hiccup's father killed so...yeah. Hiccup deserved a piece of the action. Also, Valka screaming "****_That's my future daughter-in-law_****" was something I ****_had_**** to include.**

**By the way, the ****_ROTBTD _****poll is now closed! Looks like ****_One Step at a Time_**** will come before ****_A Wolf and his Dragon_**** in the upload schedule - thanks to those who voted and I hope you look forward to the story.**

**I'll see you guys on Friday for the penultimate update of ****_How a Hofferson Trains her Dragon 2_****! Until then, happy reading and writing and I'll see you guys around.**


	22. A New Chief Rises

**The New Chief Rises**

The cheers of the Vikings that called Berk their home fell silent the instant the Bewilderbeast raised its head and set its focus on Astrid. As it set off the icy blast, a cry of terror filled the crowds before quietening into a gasp of horror as Astrid and Toothless vanished in the explosion of ice, encased in a tomb of frozen water. Valka and Gobber, alongside the other Riders, pushed through to the front of the crowd and fell silent in sorrowful horror, with Valka covering her mouth with her hands to stifle her sobs and failing. The girl she'd known almost as a daughter...the one she'd protected the night she'd been snatched from her home...gone.

"NO!" Hiccup screeched as he landed his Scuttleclaw and stumbled over to the block of blue-white ice. It was so thick he couldn't even see anything inside it, save for a large black shadow that was Toothless the Night Fury. "ASTRID!" Hiccup yelled, his voice cracking in despair as he collapsed to his knees and began slamming his fists against the ice in a vain attempt to free his fiancée. This couldn't be happening...he couldn't lose her... "No...please..." he sobbed, his hot tears hissing as they came into contact with the ice. Eventually, Hiccup slumped pitifully against the ice, his forehead resting against the cruel cold surface and his hands slipped, raw from his relentless beating of the icy prison Astrid was now forever encased in.

Drago sneered at the block of ice and began to walk towards Hiccup, grabbing his bull-staff as he went and throwing Inferno at the young man's feet.

"I trust you not to make the same mistake as your foolish father, boy," Drago growled softly, mockingly. Hiccup barely moved his head as Inferno clattered to the ground next to him. "Follow me and I shall grant you my protection."

"Protection?" Hiccup scoffed. "From what?" he snarled, finding the strength to get to his feet. Drago didn't answer and instead glowered at the young man as he rose to his feet. Hiccup stood as tall as his six feet and one inch of height would allow him, his eyes flashing in the sunlight. He took Inferno in hand but didn't raise his left hand to the hilt of Silver Edge just yet. Hiccup was the chief of his tribe now, and he wasn't going to back down in front of everyone to a madman who had eradicated half of his family.

"This island had all the protection it could have ever desired," he growled. "We found peace with the creatures we once called our enemy, thanks to Astrid. Yes, it was a long road but one worth travelling. What did you do when you found yourself at the mercy of dragons destroying your village? You used fear to control them and then used that fear to control other people." Drago didn't speak, barely interested in what the young chief had to say. "But we found ways to live alongside them and taught those ways to those who were willing to listen. That was all thanks to _Fearless_ Astrid Hofferson!" Hiccup announced with a furious pride that made his eyes gleam as if they had green fire dancing inside them. "You took that from us! Do you really..._seriously_...think that I'm going to willingly back down and let you take everything else?!"

The Berkians were captivated by the conviction in Hiccup's speech, held in an enthralled silence as the bravery and defiance in the young man's words echoed throughout the battered island. Valka's face set into a firm glare as she drew her head up proudly – she and the rest of the tribe had indeed lost a lot but Odin damn them all if they were going to let a madman like Drago Bludvist walk all over them and take the precious little that they had left.

"You call yourself the Dragon Master," Hiccup hissed at Drago. "You don't have the right to give yourself that title." Drago looked incredibly offended at that remark. "It takes more than what you've done to truly earn a dragon's loyalty! And Astrid showed us that!" Hiccup roared. In the background, a small gasp echoed through the crowd as the Vikings' attention turned to the block of ice which encased the Hero of Berk and her beloved dragon. Hiccup, in his fury towards Drago, hadn't noticed that it had started to glow bright blue.

"Uh...Hiccup?" Valka called, a little nervously.

"If there is _anyone_ in the entire world, never mind this ocean, that can claim the title of Dragon Master, it was her!" Hiccup continued.

"Hiccup!" Valka shouted a little louder. Drago, in the meantime, was stunned into silence at Hiccup's fury.

"You're not the first person to try and take the dragons away from us and you won't be the last!" Hiccup added. "And we will_ never_...!"

"HICCUP! THE ICE!" Valka shrieked. As much as her son was delivering a monologue with great conviction, he needed to get his attention on the _glowing block of ice right next to him_! Startled slightly by his mother's scream, Hiccup shot his gaze to the ice and yelped when he saw how brightly it was glowing – how in Thor's name had he missed that? The glow was becoming brighter by the second and seemed to be coming from the centre of the block of ice...when it suddenly began expanding outwards.

Crying out in surprise, Hiccup threw himself away from the ice just as it exploded in a flash of burning blue-white light.

/\

Astrid couldn't see, nor could she breathe. Cold had encased her entire being, blocking her airways and sealing her eyes shut. She could hear muffled noises but they were faint and quickly fading away. She began panicking but her body refused to move, trapped like an insect stuck in amber. Was this what it was like...to freeze to death? Astrid's mind was racing but her thoughts were disjointed, her lungs screaming due to a lack of air and her heart racing...she was scared that it would give out... The main thought that kept flying through Astrid's mind was...she'd failed. She'd been caught unawares and now Drago was free to overtake Berk, despite all of her best efforts.

She'd failed the village.

She'd failed her people.

She'd failed her family.

She'd failed Hiccup.

She'd failed herself.

If she'd been able to cry, she would have done, but the solid mass surrounding her prevented her from even relaxing, keeping her stiff body in the foetal position she'd taken in a vain attempt to protect herself. Astrid knew she'd been lucky to escape death all those years ago after the Battle of Helheim's Gate...but there was no escape from this ice. This would be her tomb...a reminder for Berk that the one Stoick the Vast had chosen as the High Protector had failed them. Through her eyelids, Astrid could just about see a faint, glowing light piercing through the darkness. She welcomed it...death was gentler than this biting cold...

Wait...that light was...

* * *

**This chapter isa little shorter than the others because I wanted to cut things off before the finale otherwise the chapter would have become, in my opinion, a bit too long. Besides, I wanted to give Hiccup a bit more time in the limelight and how better for the new Chief of Berk to do this than with a pre-battle monologue? Also, a brief POV from Astrid at the end because why not?**

**Anyway, one more chapter to go, guys! I'll see you on Wednesday for the final update of _How a Hofferson Trains Her Dragon 2_! Until then, happy reading and writing and I'll see you guys around.**


	23. Three New Alphas

**Three New Alphas**

The bang of an explosion rang painfully through Astrid's ears and she gasped for breath and her airways suddenly cleared again. Ice was blown away from her with such a great force she was amazed that she wasn't blown apart with it. Her head came into contact with the ground briefly but her vision refused to clear – shaking her head clear of the ringing and her foggy vision, Astrid's attention was caught by a furious roar...one that only came from one dragon.

Toothless had curled himself around Astrid to protect her from the brunt of the Bewilderbeast's attack and was now bellowing at the giant creature with a ferocity Astrid had never heard before. But that wasn't what caught anyone's attention about the Night Fury. He was steaming from the explosion that had freed both him and his rider and the centre of his body was glowing with the same bright blue colour as his fire, flames tickling through his nostrils, setting his head alight and shining through all of the split dorsal fins along his back. Astrid uncovered her head and her eyes were wide with shock and amazement...her friend had transformed...all to protect her.

Pausing in his ferocious roar at the Bewilderbeast, Toothless turned his head to look at Astrid, concern filling his bright green eyes. Panting for a moment to take in the situation, Astrid eventually found the strength to give her best friend a weak smile, not only to show that she was okay (dazed but otherwise okay) but also to show her gratitude. This was the umpteenth time that Toothless had saved her from an otherwise unavoidable death. She owed him everything.

Satisfied that his rider was alive and well, Toothless resumed his glaring and roaring at the Bewilderbeast, leaping up a spire of ice and furling his wings threateningly as he hissed with the banshee shriek his species was renowned for. His pupils were once again slits, but this time it was in fury and an angry desire to protect his closest companion. That Bewilderbeast would pay dearly for trying to take the life of his beloved human. In retaliation, the Bewilderbeast bellowed back at the affront. Without hesitation, Toothless shot a fireball directly into the giant's face.

"Astrid!" Hiccup cried in relief as he ran over and helped Astrid to her feet. "What happened to Toothless?" he wondered aloud in amazement. Valka also raced over as Astrid regained her balance in Hiccup's arms for a moment.

"He's challenging the Alpha!" Astrid exclaimed.

"To protect you!" Valka realised at the same time.

Still trying to get control of the Night Fury, the Bewilderbeast roared, infuriated at the act of insubordination. Fully in control of himself, Toothless shot another fireball into its face, again and again as the Bewilderbeast attempted to crush him with its tusks, smashing the ice. The smaller, more agile, Night Fury had the upper hand on this battle ground, however, and hopped from ice spire to ice spire to avoid the attacks, continuing his own unrelenting barrage of fire.

As the chaos ensued, amidst the mayhem the Bewilderbeast neglected to keep its control over the rest of the commandeered dragons. As the battle continued to rage, both Berk's dragons and Valka's from the Sanctuary broke free of the Alpha's control to see Toothless' retaliation. On the ground, Toothless leapt down next to Astrid, Hiccup and Valka and roared at the freed dragons, commanding them to come to his side. They instantly responded, the entire flock amassing behind the Night Fury much to Drago's horror as he began to panic.

"No! No, no, no!" he cried, rushing towards the Bewilderbeast. By this time, the titan was now starting to fight a losing battle. "Fight back! Fight!" Drago clambered up the Bewilderbeast's tusk, now completely unhinged. Looking around at the defecting dragons, he couldn't grasp how his army which until now had only ever grown, was now switching sides. "What's the matter with you?!" he demanded furiously.

On the ground, the crowd of Berkians swelled to show their support as Astrid leapt onto Toothless' back. Behind her, Hiccup and Valka stood proudly on the ground, letting the Hofferson take her moment as she and Toothless flew up onto the spire of ice in front of the massed flock of dragons from the three factions: Berk, Valka and Drago. Yes, even the armoured dragons of Drago's original army were hovering behind Toothless.

"Now do you get it?!" Astrid shouted. "_This_ is what it is to earn a dragon's loyalty!" she added, gesturing to the dragons behind her. Drago stared at the scene before him in unbelieving silence. He wasn't about to believe that any of this was real but Astrid had just about reached the end of her tether with this guy. "Let this end, _now_!" she demanded in one last ditch attempt to end this peacefully. Drago wasn't having any of it.

"NEVER!" he roared back, spurring the Bewilderbeast into a charge with an angry cry. Toothless called over his shoulder to the other dragons, as if commanding them to ready themselves. Astrid crouched down on Toothless' back, ready to bring him into the air if she needed to but Toothless' stance told her he wasn't about to launch an aerial assault. Without warning, he suddenly blasted the Bewilderbeast's face mid-charge. Suddenly, behind them, Skullcrusher followed, letting loose a burning hot fireball which collided square on the Bewilderbeast's nose. Cloudjumper followed suit, as did Stormfly and the rest of the Riders' dragons before the entire flock opened fire. Astrid could only look around in amazement at the sight – the dragons had started a rebellion.

On the Bewilderbeast's back, Drago was forced to hide behind one of its many spines on the giant's crown, all the while shouting and screaming at it to fight back. He yelped as his prosthetic left arm was blasted clean off his shoulder – the irony came from the fact that the blast had come from one of his own armoured dragons.

Desperate to turn the fight in its favour, the Bewilderbeast inhaled deeply, preparing to encase all of the dragons in front of it in ice but Toothless was more than prepared. Rearing up slightly, causing Astrid to tighten her grip on the saddle to avoid sliding off, he set off the most powerful fireball he'd ever created, sending the Bewilderbeast's head reeling backwards from the force of the blue-white explosion.

Astrid held her breath as the smoke cleared, revealing the Bewilderbeast tired and heavily injured as one of its massive tusks...the left one...fell from its face to the ground, sheared clean off. From the Bewilderbeast's head, Drago glared at Toothless and Astrid as the Night Fury roared commandingly, ordering an end to the fight. The Alpha Bewilderbeast had been defeated, fair and square.

A new Alpha Dragon now stood in its place.

"The Alpha...protects them all," Astrid said firmly, with a tone of finality ringing in her voice. _This time_, it was really over. Overwhelmed from the onslaught it had suffered and overpowered by the dragons in front of it, the Bewilderbeast yielded to the new Alpha Dragon...the Alpha Night Fury...and heeded Toothless' command, retreating to the sea and vanishing with a large splash as the Berkians behind Astrid cheered in victory. Astrid led Toothless over to the cliff edge and peered into the ocean – there was nothing but a foaming sea to suggest that the Bewilderbeast or even Drago had ever been there.

Astrid doubted Drago was dead...but for now he was gone.

Dismounting her dragon, Astrid let Toothless greet the flock of dragons as they began to land around him. All three factions were there with Cloudjumper landing directly in front of the Night Fury that was about half his size. With a respectful growl, Cloudjumper bowed his head, setting off a wave of bows from the other dragons as they accepted Toothless as their new Alpha. Toothless looked surprised but proud for a moment before letting out a majestic roar in acknowledgement of his new position. The other dragons followed suit in a chorus of roars which echoed across the island victoriously.

Astrid walked over with a proud smile on her face to her best friend, who turned as she approached. Wavy hair damp from the ice and tossed by the salty wind blowing in from the sea tumbling down her back and over her shoulders, Astrid stroked Toothless' nose affectionately before holding his chin with both hands.

"You never cease to amaze me, pal," she murmured gently, placing her forehead against Toothless'. "Thank you."

Toothless gurgled happily and suddenly began licking Astrid's face. Squealing in surprise, Astrid tried to back away from the barrage of affection but only ended up falling over her own feet again.

"EEK! Thor dammit, Toothless! You _know_ that doesn't wash out!" she protested amidst her laughter, as well as the laughter of the crowd. As Astrid struggled to get back on her feet and wipe her now sticky-with-dragon-slobber hair out of her face, the rest of the Berk dragons began reuniting with their owners. Gothi got tackled by her entire group of Terrible Terrors, the villagers were sharing relieved and overjoyed hugs with their dragons and the Riders were once again getting their best friends back.

"Stormfly!" Hiccup called happily as the bright blue and yellow Deadly Nadder bounded over. The young new chief laughed joyfully as Stormfly nuzzled him affectionately, as if apologising for putting him through so much worry.

"Oh, give me a cuddle, Grumpy!" Gobber smiled with tears in his eyes (not that he'd admit it) as Grump flew over. The Hotburple obliged...by falling asleep midair and flattening Gobber. Meanwhile, at the point of tears, a relieved Snotlout and Fishlegs were running in Ruffnut's direction. Ruffnut herself had her arms open expectantly.

"Who's my little princess?" Fishlegs cooed...as he and Snotlout ran straight past Ruffnut to embrace their own dragons. Ruffnut stared after them looking dejected. "I missed you so much!" Fishlegs cooed to Meatlug.

"Don't you ever leave again, Hookfang!" Snotlout requested. Ruffnut grumbled to herself, turning away from the scene when a familiar head dipped down to comfort her.

"Oh, Barf!" Ruffnut greeted, hugging him tightly. Belch poked his head in, also hoping for some affection but Ruffnut pushed him away. "Not you!" she huffed dryly. Belch headed back over to Tuffnut who glowered at his sister slightly but nonetheless was happy to have their dragon back.

Astrid finally got to her feet and pulled her hair behind her neck, smiling as she took in the happy reunions. Skullcrusher approached her, nuzzling her gently without a rider to reunite with. With a regretful and guilt-ridden sigh, Astrid petted him fondly, apologising silently for being responsible for the loss of Skullcrusher's friend and rider. She was snapped out of her musings by Eret as he approached her.

"You know, that was some pretty fine dragon wrangling back there," the man remarked. "You'd make a good trapper."

"I'm flattered," Astrid chuckled lightly. Skullcrusher then nuzzled Eret affectionately – in response, Eret chuckled slightly and stroked his nose. Astrid pondered in thought for a moment...maybe... "You know, Skullcrusher's gonna need somebody to look after him now," she explained. Eret looked up at her in surprise.

"Me?" he asked. Astrid nodded reassuringly. She had faith in the man. Eret paused to consider, looking at Skullcrusher for a moment. "I'd be honoured," he accepted. Astrid was then pulled away by Valka's approach. The woman had a proud smile gracing her face as she took her future daughter-in-law's hands, bursting to the brim with pride.

"Your parents...and Stoick...they'd be every bit as proud of you as I am," she smiled. "As we all are." Astrid smiled back, tears stinging her eyes a little.

"Thanks," she murmured. "I'm really glad you're here, Valka," she added. Valka hugged the girl she'd called her foster daughter close in reassurance.

"And here I'll stay," she promised. Toothless walked up next to the two ladies, purring as Valka stroked his head. Not long after, Hiccup strode over to Astrid, his face glowing with pride.

"See?" he smirked. "Told you it was in here," he added, placing a hand on Astrid's chest. Astrid looked at him with a happy smile – she'd found herself now. True, she was a peacekeeper. But she still had the strength to fight and the will to do whatever it took to keep Berk safe. She was the bridge between the worlds of Vikings and dragons. She'd found her calling. But Hiccup wasn't done yet. Smirking playfully, he quickly poked the button which activated Astrid's dorsal fin.

"Ah!" Astrid yelped as Hiccup laughed. "Oh, ha, ha! Still doing that one, are you?" Astrid snickered sarcastically, rolling her eyes but not bothering to reel the fin back in. "That's hilarious." She paused for a second before grabbing the scruff of Hiccup's tunic and pulling him towards her with a knowing grin on her face. "Come here, you." Scooping Hiccup's face in her hands, Astrid stood slightly on tiptoe and pulled her fiancé into a kiss. Hiccup squeaked slightly in surprise but nonetheless went along with it. In the background, Gobber covered the eyes of a gawking boy. The kiss eventually ended and Astrid and Hiccup spent a few seconds just savouring the moment before Gothi tapped Hiccup on the shoulder, gesturing for him to kneel.

Edging him on with a nod, Astrid stood back as Hiccup knelt in front of the village elder to go through the ceremony to officially become the Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk. Covering her fingers in charcoal from a nearby piece of burnt wreckage, Gothi drew the Symbol of Chiefs on Hiccup's forehead, just visible under his bangs: two semicircles on top of each other, the bottom one larger than the top one, with a line going through the middle of them, creating the image of an eye or sorts. Hiccup stood up as soon as Gothi gave him the go ahead, meeting the proud gazes of his mother, Gobber and Astrid.

"Welcome home, Chief," Astrid smiled. Hiccup smiled back and beckoned Astrid to come over – it was her turn now. Gothi stood nearby as Hiccup carried out his first official ceremony as chief. Taking a deep breath, Astrid nodded and knelt before Hiccup as he took Inferno and returned it to her. Extending the blade but not lighting it, Astrid knelt with her hands on Inferno's hilt as Hiccup drew Silver Edge and placed the blade on her shoulder.

"Fearless Astrid Hofferson...Dragon Trainer and Hero of Berk," he recited flawlessly. _Finally, someone gets it right_, Astrid thought dryly to herself. "Do you swear by the Gods of the Nine Realms to protect Berk and its inhabitants with all your strength and ability for as long as you are able?"

"I swear," Astrid replied.

"And do you swear your allegiance to your chief, standing by his side through strife and prosperity, aiding him to what is best for the tribe?"

"I swear."

"And do you swear to cast all personal desires aside should the need arise, placing the needs of those under your care above your own?"

Astrid paused as she noticed the slight change in the words of the vow – usually, a vow of this kind would have the words '_needs of the people_' spoken. Here, however, Hiccup had changed them to '_needs of those under your care_'. The vow had been changed to include the dragons as well. Without further hesitation, Astrid completed the vow.

"I swear," she said firmly. Hiccup nodded to Gothi who stepped forward, brushing Astrid's bangs out of the way to draw another symbol, one which hadn't graced the foreheads of any Viking on Berk for generations: the Symbol of the High Protector. A cross that symbolised a sword was drawn between Astrid's eyebrows and going down her small round nose before a semi-circle reminiscent of a shield was drawn over the top. Standing up, Astrid placed her hand in Hiccup's as Gobber looked at them both with proud, smiling eyes,

"Your Chief and High Protector have come home!" he announced to the silent crowd. The Berkians erupted into cheers of congratulations as Astrid and Hiccup acknowledge the applause, both accepting the weight of responsibility that had been placed on their shoulders. They were ready for this. Berk needed their leaders.

Nearby, Toothless threw back his head and set off a plasma blast in celebration. The other dragons followed suit, lighting up the sky in a magnificent display.

/\

A new day dawned on the Isle of Berk and a sheep grazed lazily on the grass as a Terrible Terror tried in vain to lift it off the ground. Without warning, both were suddenly snatched up by a passing dragon – it was Barf and Belch. In the air, having caught the sheep, Ruffnut and Tuffnut both squabbled over the sheep before Ruffnut sent it flying towards Fishlegs. Snotlout managed to cut in and nab it instead, blowing a mocking kiss as he did so. Well, at least _he_ was back to normal.

_This is Berk. A bit trampled and busted and covered in ice, but it's home. It's our home._

The Riders swooped past the battered stands as the crowds cheered them on – after all the mayhem of the past week and a half, the island needed a distraction in the form of Dragon Racing above all else. Hiccup and Astrid were currently sitting the race out, helping out with reconstruction but Eret was having a go and not doing terribly badly. The group flew past Hiccup and Stormfly as they helped with hoisting a piece of timber and supplies onto a rooftop covered with other workers. Nearby, Astrid was helping out with fixing another roof with Toothless. Smiling with pride, Astrid looked over to the cliff side in the distance where a large statue of Stoick was under construction.

_Those who attacked us are relentless and crazy. But those who stopped them? Oh! Even more so!_

Astrid scanned the horizon, looking in all directions to make sure that no trouble was approaching. As of yet there had been no sign of Drago's fleet and Astrid could only assume that they were still en route to Berk, ready to meet their commander and unaware that he had already met his defeat. On the other hand, it was possible that Drago had rendezvoused with his men with his Bewilderbeast and was planning an attack to take the dragons back. As Berk's new High Protector, Astrid was determined to never let that happen.

"Mi'lady!" a call sounded. Astrid ducked as a dragon buzzed past her and Toothless – it was Stormfly and Hiccup who was grinning playfully. "How about we show the others how it's done?" he suggested, having taken a break from work to join the game and coaxing Astrid to do the same.

"Stoick was right about you slacking off!" Astrid teased slightly, shaking her head but smiling all the same.

_We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pit against us._

"Hey, Mom!" Hiccup waved as he passed the blacksmith's where Valka was helping Gobber remove armour from the dragons that had been freed from Drago's army. Notably, Valka was barely struggling with lifting the heavy armour whilst Gobber staggered a little when it was handed to him.

_We are the voice of peace. And, bit by bit, we will change this world._

"Hey! Last lap!" Tuffnut called. Realising he was late, Gobber hurried over to the sheep launcher and pulled the trigger. The black sheep, previously looking 100% _done_ with what he'd put up with, suddenly bleated in fright as he was sent flying into the air. Smirking, Hiccup led Stormfly upwards, ready to snatch the sheep out of the air...

...only to be cut off by a black blur. Chuckling, Hiccup grinned as he spotted Astrid and Toothless – well, it was about time she showed up for a race. Toothless smiled his gummy grin back as Astrid looped around the track, effortlessly dodging all attempts to tackle the black sheep from her grasp.

_You see, we have something that they don't. Oh, sure. They have armies and they have armadas..._

"Come on, pal!" Astrid encouraged as Toothless neared the finish line. On the approach, Astrid balanced carefully on Toothless' back, ready to jump (see? Hanging around Valka and Hiccup had taught her a few things). As they drew closer, Astrid leapt into the air with Toothless bouncing her to give her a boost, allowing her to soar over the line of baskets and dump the black sheep into Hiccup's basket.

Well, one had a right to suck up to their other half every once in a while, didn't they?

_But we...we have..._

Astrid reunited with Toothless on the other side as the crowd cheered wildly. The race now over, Astrid flew over to the chief's stand and rested Toothless at the top. Hiccup and Stormfly landed right next to them and shortly after, the other Riders joined them. As Astrid looked out over Berk in pride, Toothless let out a majestic roar, his nostrils flickering slightly with blue fire.

_OUR DRAGONS!_

* * *

**Well, that's it for another story, guys. Thank you so much for sticking with this one - you guys have been absolutely amazing. I hope you've enjoyed this story and look forward to future projects.**

**Currently, I'm working on my next crossover project, which you guys voted to be ****_One Step at a Time_****, a ****_Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons_**** piece of work as well as other bits and pieces as and when I can get round to them. Until then, happy writing, happy reading, feel free to leave reviews or send me PMs regarding my writing and I shall see you guys around in the future. Bye!**


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